Ontario man gets life in prison for murdering Pomona landscaper

RIVERSIDE -- An Ontario man convicted of murdering a Pomona landscaper with a hatchet in 2004 was sentenced today to 27 years to life in state prison.

Mark Robert Peterson, 55, was sentenced in Riverside Superior Court after a judge rejected two motions from Peterson -- motions to withdraw his insanity plea and for a new trial.

Prosecutors accused Peterson of killing Victor Camarillo, 58, with a hatchet on April 15, 2004 as Camarillo trimmed trees behind a Wal-Mart at 2663 Canyon Springs Parkway in Riverside.

Peterson was linked to the crime in 2007 when cold-case testing of DNA found at the scene matched Peterson's DNA sample taken during a previous arrest, according to a Riverside Police Department news release.

The Ontario man pleaded guilty to the killing by reason of insanity, but a jury declared following a trial in July that Peterson was sane at the time of the crime.

This morning, Judge Paul E. Zellerbach rejected bids by Peterson to set aside his guilty plea and order a new trial, said Deputy Public Defender Douglas Miranda.

Zellerback then sentenced Peterson to 27 years to life in state prison, Miranda said.