Tulare man sentenced to 66 years to life for murder

A Tulare man was sentenced Friday in Tulare County Superior Court to 66 years to life in state prison for murder, the county District Attorney’s Office said.

Jimmy Ansiel, 45, pleaded guilty on Dec. 22 to a count of first-degree murder and special allegations of a prior strike, elder abuse and use of a deadly weapon, the office said. He also pleaded guilty to first-degree residential burglary.

Roma Reid, 68, was attacked with a blunt object by Ansiel in the entryway of her Tulare home on Oct. 21, the office said. The victim was beaten and strangled to death. Blood on Ansiel’s clothing was a DNA match to Reid’s.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Tulare man sentenced to 66 years to life for murder."