Grover Beach man charged with murdering Oceano activist enters plea
The man accused of murdering an Oceano activist made his first court appearance Thursday, about a week after officials announced his arrest.
David Krause pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder for the killing of Lawrence Albert Bross more than two years ago.
The 90-year-old was found dead inside his home on Strand Way in January 2019, and San Luis Obispo Sheriff’s Office investigators had for years asked the public’s help in identifying a subject.
Krause, 41, was reportedly already in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail on unrelated charges when he was arrested April 7 in connection with Bross’s murder.
At his arraignment Thursday, he entered a plea of not guilty to a murder charge, which was filed Friday.
He is being held at the County Jail with bail set at $1 million.
A bail reduction hearing has been scheduled for April 22.
His attorney, Steve Rice, said Thursday he could not comment on the case because he had yet to receive any discovery.
Sheriff Ian Parkinson said forensic evidence, specifically a DNA match, helped identify Krause as the suspect.
Bross’s body was discovered at his home in the 1400 block of Strand Way in Oceano on Jan. 24, 2019. He died from “multiple chop force traumatic injuries,” the Sheriff’s Office said at the time.
The criminal complaint alleges Krause used a deadly weapon in commission of the killing, described only as a “blunt force object.” Assistant district attorney Eric Dobroth elaborated at the news conference Friday that the weapon was a “hammer-like” object.
Dobroth said the victim and suspect knew each other but he would not go into detail on their relationship or a possible motive for the killing.
Dobroth said that evidence in the case supports a charge of second degree murder, meaning the evidence does not support premeditation.
Krause has a lengthy criminal history in San Luis Obispo County.
In 2016, Krause was sentenced to six years in state prison for a bizarre crime spree in Grover Beach.
Police say he started a small fire, attempted to steal a bus, burglarized a home and stole a car before a manhunt led to his arrest on the beach.
If convicted of second degree murder, Krause could face a prison sentence of 15 years to life.
