Man gets life term for ‘senseless’ deadly stabbing in Bakersfield
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Found guilty of stabbing a homeless man to death with no provocation during a crime spree in 2021, Corey Spells was sentenced Monday to 32 years to life in prison.
Spells, 38, was found guilty last month of killing John Anthony Sosa Jr., 48.
Driver of replica DeLorean Car has heart attack, dies on Hwy 178
In a statement he read to the court, Spells maintained his innocence.
“I have been absolutely pure my entire life,” he said. He continued to go on about his good character, saying he’s moral, motivated and inspired.
Before imposing sentence, Judge Kenneth C. Twisselman II said he found Spells was suffering from a mental condition when the crimes occurred, and said he would give him less than the maximum term. He noted Sosa’s “senseless” killing, finding no explanation for it.
Sosa was found unconscious and bleeding early Oct. 3, 2021, on American Avenue, north of Ming Avenue and east of Valhalla Drive. He was declared dead at the scene.
Sosa used a washing stall at a nearby car wash as a makeshift encampment, and surveillance footage shows he briefly fought with a man there at about 2:35 a.m.
The suspect left, and the footage shows Sosa walk in the other direction while holding his neck. He’s later seen lying on the ground.
Never miss a story – Make KGET.com your homepage
Police arrested Spells days later after he hit and brandished a knife at a man sitting at a bus stop by Valley Plaza mall. An officer recognized him as a suspect in a smash-and-grab burglary in which thousands of dollars in diamond rings were stolen from JC Penney the month before.
Spells had a “large, fixed-blade hunting knife” on him, police said. Blood on the knife matched Sosa’s DNA, according to prosecutors.
Before the DNA results came back, Spell was released from custody and on Oct. 21, 2021, punched a woman in the head and snatched her purse in a parking lot at White Lane and South H Street, prosecutors said.
An employee from a nearby barbershop chased Spells, who pulled a knife and stabbed the employee in the back, prosecutors said. The employee was treated at Kern Medical and recovered.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KGET 17.
