Convicted murderer Sean Mooney sat in a Sonoma County courtroom Tuesday with his back to his divided family as they stood in support or against the 22-year-old who would receive a life sentence for killing his grandfather.
He didn't turn around when his uncle, Dave Deming, hurled obscenities at him for sneaking up behind his 77-year-old father, Robert Deming of Sonoma, and firing a 12-gauge shotgun into his head at point-blank range.
He kept his eyes fixed on a distant wall when his aunt, Carolyn Deming, rose to his defense, acknowleging the divided family and proclaiming her nephew not guilty of first-degree murder in the death of her father.
But the courtroom was quiet as Judge Ken Gnoss sentenced Mooney to life in prison without parole, adding a consecutive prison term of 25 years to life for the use of a firearm. The judge then wished the family well in accepting the "harsh reality" that has ripped them apart.
Mooney was sentenced for killing his grandfather on May 20, 2008 as the elder man sat in a rocking chair watching movies at his Bonneau Road home. Prosecutors said he fired a blast from a stolen shotgun into the back of his head at a range of 2 to 4 inches to gain an early inheritance.
"It was a senseless act and he needs to suffer the rest of his life," Mark Deming, the victim's nephew, told the judge. "The only way he's getting out of the pen is in a box of ashes."
Venom also spewed from the victim's son and Mooney's uncle, Robert Deming, who said he would like to tear off Mooney's head. He received a warning from the judge when he turned toward other family members and lashed out at them for supporting his nephew.
"He's going to the college of colleges," Deming said, referring to prison. "We'll all be dead when he gets out. What he's got coming to him he deserves."
Mooney's parents, Patrick and Susan Mooney, were present but did not speak.
"This court knows we feel that this is not the right result," Carolyn Deming said. "That Sean is not guilty."
Outside court, his lawyer, John Halley, said Mooney would challenge the verdict in the 1st District Court of Appeal. The judge said he had 60 days to file.
"He's going to continue to fight this," Halley said. "The conviction we feel is unsupported and wrong."
Mooney, who had no prior criminal record, gave police different stories about the events of May 20. At first he said he was sleeping in his grandfather's camper when he saw two men emerge from the house with a rifle. Later he admitted that was a lie and said the gun went off by accident. In another version, he said his grandfather encouraged him to kill him for insurance money.
An investigation revealed Mooney planned the killing because he needed a place to live with his girlfriend, who was pregnant with Mooney's son. He was getting kicked out of his parents' rent-free Chico home and eyed his grandfather's camper as a place he could stay.
When a jury convicted him in July of murder for financial gain, he burst out in the courtroom, "I needed a house, not money."
According to a probation report, Mooney maintains he did not murder his grandfather and that his past statements have been "twisted." His mother and aunt believe the shooting was a "tragic accident," the report said.
Mooney's son was born some time after his arrest, the report said.
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