![On July 5, 2006, 64-year-old retired plastic surgeon Esfandiar “Steve” Kadivar [pictured] was found shot to death at his remote, 200-acre, desert ranch in Lancaster. The next year, Efraín Soto was shot to death while he worked at the ranch.](https://theavtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Esfandiar-Steve-Kadivar.jpg)
Nicolas Olvera Cordoba, 63, Antonio Martínez, 51, and Arturo Rosales Verdín, 47, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, according to Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake. Marco Antonio García, 38, was sentenced to 28 years to life in state prison.
Last year, Martínez and Verdín were found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder with special circumstances of committing the murders for financial gain, lying in wait and multiple murders in the killings of Dr. Esfandiar “Steve” Kadivar and Efraín Soto.
Cordoba and García were each convicted of one count of murder with the special circumstances of lying in wait and murder for financial gain for Soto’s killing.
García pleaded guilty to the charge and agreed to testify for the prosecution.
Dr. Kadivar was a plastic surgeon in Palmdale who owned a large ranch in Lancaster where he worked the land and raised crops such as alfalfa and pistachios. Cordoba lived and worked on the property and orchestrated the killings, according to trial testimony.
Witnesses testified that on July 5, 2006, Verdín and Martínez shot the doctor to death as he fed his animals.
After the doctor’s death, Cordoba negotiated a lease of the ranch and brought in Soto to help finance the lease, according to witness testimony.
The following year, Cordoba had a falling out with Soto and then hired García to kill him for $5,000, witnesses added.
On April 28, 2007, García shot Soto to death while he worked at the ranch. Verdín and Martínez helped García carry out the murder and transport the victim’s remains to a location several miles away, the prosecutor said.
At Friday’s sentencing hearing, members of the Kadivar and Soto families gave victim impact statements before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Larry P. Fidler of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Homicide Bureau.
[Information via news release from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office.]
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Previous related stories:
Fourth defendant found guilty in Lancaster ranch killings
Guilty verdict reached in Lancaster ranch killings
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callitasitis says
It is too bad a death sentence take 25 years in California, who knows if they will ever come close to their date. Wish we could use the Texas model out in 7 years.
jessica says
The prosecution chose not to seek the death penalty because of the ages of the defendants. They all got life w/out parole, except for Garcia, he pled guilty so he got life e/parole.
lancaster commuter says
RIP to the doctor who worked hard for what he had just to have some low life scums kill him. complete disregard for human life. how sad.
M says
Great man, fixed my jaw after an accident when I was 8. I was scared to death and he was a genial and reassuring man. Those men should have gotten the death pentalty. Another great example of the p.o.s. That come to this country only to disrespect our laws and just simply our human decency as AMERICANS. Burn in hell [removed]! Rest in peace Dr. GOD BLESS U……..
SMHx2 says
@M, well he fixed your jaw but not your brain, which is pretty obvious. I know plenty of “AMERICANS” that lack human decency in many levels (e.g. the pillowcase rapist). The crime that was committed was awful and it should never happen to people such as the one mentioned in this article, but, stop making assumptions based on the fact that someone is American or non- SMHx1,0000!!!!
btru says
They will burn in hell for the sins they have committed.