Two people who burglarized a Paradise Hills house and others while the occupants were attending the funeral of a loved one have both been sentenced to 12 years in prison.
Six victims spoke to El Cajon Superior Court Judge Daniel Goldstein on Dec. 14 and told him their anguish involving the burglaries committed by David Andrew Valenzuela and Jennifer Lynn Martinez, both 34.
The letters of three other victims were read in court. A restitution hearing was set for Jan. 13. Probation was ruled out. Deputy District Attorney Jalyn Wang said the maximum sentence was 20 years.
Valenzuela of El Cajon and Martinez of San Diego pleaded guilty Oct. 14 to eight and seven other similar burglaries respectively and one attempted burglary with the same motive of burglarizing houses of people attending funerals.
The couple researched online obituaries, looked for the time of day when funerals were to take place and broke in during those moments, according to El Cajon Police.
They researched the names of survivors listed in obituaries as to where they lived. Sometimes they burglarized the house where the person who died lived.
They also pleaded guilty to two counts of using stolen credit cards.
The burglary in Paradise Hills took place on Feb. 27 on Calle Quebrada. Five burglaries occurred in El Cajon.
Other houses broken into took place in Allied Gardens, La Mesa, Navajo, Casa de Oro, Linda Vista and Clairemont.
