A man who was convicted of killing Joaquin Tuttle in a Pacific Beach motel room was sentenced March 9 to 26 years to life in state prison.
The grieving mother of the victim spoke before Cameron Matthew Parker, 29, received the maximum sentence handed down by San Diego Superior Court Judge Kenneth So.
The judge ordered Parker to pay $2,741.88 in expenses for Tuttle’s funeral and tombstone which were paid by the victim’s compensation board, according to the probation report.
Parker was convicted of first-degree murder Jan. 26 by an eight woman, four man jury after they deliberated eight hours over two days.
Tuttle, 40, died April 21, 2017, at Scripps La Jolla Hospital from blunt force trauma in a beating and stabbing at the San Diego Motel where he was living at 4780 Mission Bay Drive.
Tuttle was attacked by Parker who hit him over the head with a microwave oven and was punched and stabbed in an unprovoked attack on April 14, 2017. Parker allegedly was jealous over attention paid to his girlfriend by Tuttle.
Parker’s girlfriend, Samantha Grace Passmore, 24, claimed that Parker had texted him and they were Facebook friends. Tuttle’s girlfriend said Passmore made repeated threats to her.
Passmore peeked into Tuttle’s room twice during the fight between Parker and Tuttle, according to Parker’s probation report. They both left the motel together afterwards and were arrested April 27 at a Mission Valley motel.
Passmore pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced Jan. 11 to seven years in prison. She was also ordered to pay for Tuttle’s funeral expenses.
Tuttle was the former owner of a bicycle shop in Pacific Beach and was also an artist.
A motel housekeeper said she saw Passmore look into Tuttle’s room and laugh while hearing him yelling during the fight. She said she saw Parker’s bloody hands as he left the room, and heard him say “that’s what he gets.”
Judge So also ordered Parker to pay $4,451 to Tuttle’s mother and others. He was fined $10,244, and he was given credit for already serving 319 days in jail.
If Parker gets any money on his account in prison, a portion will be deducted to pay the restitution and fines. Parker has beaten three other inmates in jail including when he was earlier incarcerated for transporting illegal drugs, according to his probation report.
The judge imposed 25 years to life for murder plus one year consecutively for using a knife. Parker will appeal and declined to speak to police and probation officials.
Tuttle died from his injuries, which included rib fractures and also from pulmonary hypertension. He was found underneath a mattress in his room, which Parker had put over him.