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Hesperia Man Gets 16 to Life for Murder: VCR Theft Reportedly Prompted Slaying

Posted on: Thursday, 9 March 2006, 18:00 CST

By Justin Boggs, Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

Mar. 9--VICTORVILLE -- A man who pleaded guilty to murder over an allegedly stolen VCR was sentenced to a heavy prison term Wednesday that may keep him behind bars for the rest of his life. Superior Court Judge Eric Nakata sentenced Bobby Keeth, 30, of Hesperia to 16 years to life in state prison for the 2002 murder of Charles Cosby of Hesperia, court officials said. Keeth will spend the rest of his life on parole if ever released from prison, said Deputy District Attorney Robert Brown. Keeth and Cosby, 59, were acquaintances who sometimes used methamphetamine together, according to Keeth's probation report. Keeth became upset with Cosby because Keeth thought the man had stolen a VCR from him. In July 2002 Keeth stabbed Cosby in the leg following an argument, the report said. The night of the murder, Keith and two other men went to Cosby's Olive Street apartment in Hesperia and beat him to death with a metal pipe as he slept, the report said. Sheriff's investigators found blood spattered on the walls of Cosby's bedroom and various obscenities written throughout the apartment. An investigation showed that Cosby had also been stabbed in his buttocks, the report said. Keeth lied to investigators during an initial interview, saying he had no knowledge of the killing. After interviewing other witnesses, authorities learned that Keeth was not being truthful. Keeth's wife told investigators that her husband had come home late that night and told her about the murder before asking her to wash his clothing. She said the two had been suffering marital problems since Keeth began using methamphetamine. In a subsequent interview with sheriff's investigators, Keeth admitted to serving as a lookout while the other two men bludgeoned Cosby, according to the report. Keeth said that he didn't know the others would kill Cosby -- the plan had only been to beat him up -- but admitted to being responsible for the stab wound found on Cosby's buttocks. "What went down that night was completely out of my hands," Keeth said in an interview with authorities. "I never wanted that dude to die." Other witnesses told investigators they heard Keeth say that he'd "had it with old man Charlie" and that one day he would kill Cosby, according to the report. Keeth told investigators the three had burglarized Cosby's apartment once he was dead and that they had even returned to steal more after leaving the apartment the first time, according to the report. Charges have been dropped against one of the two other men arrested in connection with the killing, court records show. A third suspect, Raymond Andrew Gonzalez, has pleaded innocent to charges of murder and burglary and still awaits trial. From Here: -- Back to today's news -- News Archive -- Join the discussion at the community forum

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Copyright (c) 2006, Daily Press, Victorville, Calif.

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Source: Daily Press - Victorville, California

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