Thomas Davies will not be eligible again for parole for seven years, Passalacqua said.
On Aug. 12, 1985, Davies, his cousin Peter Tanneyhill, and Richard Meier drove to Mendocino County in Meier's truck to steal marijuana from a garden near Willits, Passalacqua said.
They got out of the truck and walked down a dirt road, where Davies shot Meier in the back with a handgun four times, Passalacqua said.
He shot Meier to steal his truck and $500 from him, Passalacqua said.
Meier died at the scene, and Davies and Tanneyhill put him in the back of the truck and drove to Santa Rosa, Passalacqua said. They dumped his body in a ditch near Mendocino and Russell avenues and headed to Washington state.
Davies was arrested in Washington and tried and convicted in Sonoma County.
Deputy District Attorney Robert Waner told the Board of Prison Terms the murder was calculated and showed a callous disregard for life and the suffering of others because of the four gun shots fired into an unarmed victim, Passalacqua said.
Waner also argued Davies exploited Meier's trust and confidence to lure him to an isolated rural area before killing him, Passalacqua said.
