Mother, son get life for murdering landlord

A mother and son were sentenced Thursday for murdering their landlord in Capitola three years ago, prosecutors said.

Diana Cohen, 61, and Daniel Cohen, 30, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the death of Gordon Smith, 63, prosecutors said.

Daniel Cohen was also sentenced to another 25 years to life in prison for using a firearm, according to prosecutors.

The defendants were tenants of a property managed by Smith, prosecutors said.

In January, the pair was found guilty of first-degree murder with a special allegation of lying in wait, prosecutors said.

A day before Smith was found dead, the Cohens prepared for killing Smith by stealing a vehicle from a car dealership during a test drive and waited for Smith in a parking lot for more than an hour, prosecutors said.

Once they were sure Smith was alone, Daniel Cohen fired four shots at Smith, who was struck twice in the head, according to prosecutors.

The firearm belonged to Diana Cohen, prosecutors said.

The defendants attempted to cover up the murder by hiding the gun and returning the vehicle to the dealership, according to prosecutors.

The mother and son were scheduled for a restitution hearing on May 5 to determine if Smith’s family will be given $26,000 the defendants had kept and other losses, prosecutors said.

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