Judge hands down maximum sentence in SLO County murder case
A 29-year-old man convicted of a stabbing murder committed during a fight at an alcohol-fueled party in Shandon received the maximum prison sentence possible Monday.
Kejuan Guy Bynum of Atascadero was sentenced to 36 years to life in state prison after a jury found him guilty in November of second-degree murder of 23-year-old Cristopher Vento Wilson in June 2019.
The jury also found that Bynum used a deadly weapon during the commission of his crime, which occurred in the yard outside of a house party among friends on the 200 block of Escondido Way.
Judge Craig van Rooyen said that Bynum must account for his actions, reflecting on the life he took away.
The judge also factored in Bynum’s past criminal record, which included a 2015 conviction for second-degree robbery, a strike on his record, and a prior conviction of threatening a witness amid a battery case, also in 2015.
The sentence came as family members of the victim gave emotional statements in court and asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
“It’s been said that actions have consequences,” said Ruby Aviles, Wilson’s cousin, in court. “It’s been said that when you do something, you need to man up and deal with those consequences. With this being said, I hope that Mr. Bynum receives the maximum sentencing offered for this type of criminal activity to ensure he’s able to process what he’s done, in hopes another family won’t have to endure this agonizing pain that has been forced upon us.”
Family members speak out
Aviles said she and Wilson were only two weeks apart in age and she lost her “childhood buddy to relate, understand and reminisce with.”
“Cristopher’s death has impacted everyone differently,” she said. “Everyone has their own unique feelings and memories they carry with them in regards to him.”
She said family members have suffered mental and emotional impacts.
Wilson’s cousins have continued to carry around his picture every day for the past two years.
“I’m sure everyone may not be able to relate, but they can at least understand the impact a crime to this degree can hold over a family,” Aviles said.
Wilson’s aunt, April Anguiano, said in her statement read aloud in court that she suffers from depression and anxiety.
“My family and job have been significantly impacted over the past two-and-a-half years,” Anguiano said.
Anguiano added: “Through the help of my therapies, family, faith and the justice system, I am healing to live with the fact that Cristopher was murdered and is never coming back.”
Defendant issues apology
In a rare response from a defendant in a murder case, Bynum apologized to Wilson’s family.
“I just want to say that I’m sorry,” Bynum said, standing and facing Wilson’s family in the courtroom. “I’ve lost people in my family too, and I would have wished for someone to say sorry. From the bottom of my heart, I’m sorry.”
Bynum also acknowledged his family in attendance at the hearing, saying, “I’m sorry to my family as well.”
What happened
A motive for the murder was debated by opposing attorneys during the month-long court trial.
A woman who’d attended the party, Amanda Portney, testified early in the trial that Bynum was obsessed with her after a brief sexual encounter and called him jealous and enraged.
After seeing Wilson talking and interacting with Portney at the party, Bynum repeatedly challenged Wilson to a fight, which Wilson refused several times, witnesses said.
Bynum, under the influence of alcohol, told Wilson to come outside the home to talk, Portney testified. That’s where Bynum threw the first punch and later stabbed Wilson multiple times, piercing vital organs, after the initial exchange was broken up, according to witnesses.
Defense attorney Scott Taylor argued his client didn’t intend to kill Wilson and cited as influencing factors Bynum’s extreme inebriation and a concussion he sustained when Wilson landed a punch to the left side of his face after Bynum initiated the fight.
“My client has had a long-term problem with alcohol, which he’ll need to address,” Taylor said. “... He didn’t intend to kill (Wilson).”
Deputy District Attorney Delaney Henretty, however, said Bynum’s actions proved that he was capable of making the decisions that resulted in Wilson’s death in using a knife to attack, declaring victory afterward in comments he made in front of witnesses, and fleeing from the scene of the crime before he was caught and arrested.
“Alcohol is not an excuse,” Henretty said.
Responsibility for actions
In its finding of second-degree murder (without deliberation and premeditation), the jury determined that Bynum wasn’t guilty of first-degree homicide (with deliberation and premeditation), which would have carried an even harsher sentence.
In his argument at Monday’s sentencing, Henretty disputed that alcohol should be considered as a factor in his decision-making, saying Bynum was capable of choosing his actions.
Van Rooyen also said that Bynum was not “unconscious” or incapable of controlling the actions that led to Wilson’s death.
Van Rooyen said that he felt it was important for Wilson’s family members to be heard, reflecting on the type of person he was, and told them, “I hear you.”
“No words I can give you will help you with your loss, but I hope you can heal because that’s what Cristopher Wilson would have wanted,” Van Rooyen said.
In a statement, SLO County District Attorney Dan Dow said: “While this prison sentence cannot bring Cristopher Wilson back to his family and loved ones, it is a just punishment for cowardly taking the life of another human being. Our hearts go out to Mr. Wilson’s family as they continue to grieve his needless death. We will always seek tough sentences on serious and violent crime as we work hard to protect the citizens of San Luis Obispo County.”
Correction: This story has been updated with the correct street location of the party where the murder occurred.
This story was originally published December 13, 2021 at 1:32 PM.
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