Ex-employee gets 2 life sentences for 1991 cold case murders at California restaurant
By Felix Cortez
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PRUNEDALE, Calif. (KSBW) — Ira Bastian, 86, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the 1991 murders of Prunedale restaurant owner George Smith and his mother-in-law, Eva Thompson, after DNA evidence linked him to the crime last month.
Smith’s daughter, only identified as Christine, expressed her feelings during the sentencing, saying, “I do not believe we owe Mr. Bastian any mercy.”
Christine recounted the brutal nature of the murders, stating, “I know how my dad died, I know how Eva died and I know that the reason they were murdered was for a few hundred dollars so that Mr. Bastian could buy crack.”
Bastian, who was an employee at Smith’s restaurant, stabbed the owner and his mother-in-law nearly a dozen times with a kitchen knife.
Judge Andrew Liu acknowledged the severity of the crime, saying, “I want to recognize that Mr. Bastian is a human being, but this was an extremely brutal murder of two innocent people who ran a nice family restaurant.”
Family members spoke about the victims, describing Smith as a decorated Army veteran who offered second chances by employing people and entertained guests at his restaurant with magic tricks.
Smith’s daughter shared the impact of her father’s murder, “When my dad was brutally murdered, my world seemed to come to an abrupt stop as my life had been changed forever at a time when I needed my dad for support and encouragement, he was brutally taken from me from us.”
The family waited 34 years for justice, and Judge Liu granted their request for life imprisonment without parole.
“His lack of remorse, and to show him the same lack of compassion for some of his victims, Mr. Bastian deserves to spend his final days in prison without family, without compassion, without mercy.”
“Even though there is that saying that justice delayed is justice denied, I see no injustice in imposing this sentence, I do hope it brings some much-needed closure to this longstanding pain,” added Smith’s daughter.
Despite the conviction, Bastian maintains his innocence, and his defense attorney has indicated that Bastian will file an appeal.
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