Life sentence for man who killed SLT teen

Richard Swanson was killed in 1980 in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Provided

Andrew Sanford on Monday was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the first-degree murder of a South Lake Tahoe teenager.

Richard Swanson, 16, was killed in 1980 while working at was a Shell Station at the Y. He had been beaten, wrapped in duct tape and left to die in a back room.

El Dorado County Superior Court Judge James Wagoner on Feb. 23 denied Sanford’s request for a new trial and handed down the sentence.

Sanford, 53, was found guilty in April 2014.

Sanford, who was 19 at the time of the murder, had a small criminal record that included auto theft, and breaking and entering.

“As in this case, every family who has lost a loved one to violent crime finds that moment and their loss frozen in time. Nothing can bring their son Richard back, but it is my hope that Richard’s parents and family members may find some peace knowing that the person responsible for their son’s death has finally been held responsible for his actions,” District Attorney Vern Pierson said in a statement.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report