El Dorado County man convicted of killing his aunt sentenced to 25 years in prison

A man who shot his aunt to death was sentenced to 25 years in state prison last week for first-degree murder.

The June 26 sentence, handed down from Judge Mark Ralphs in a Placerville courtroom, came after two hours of emotional testimony from the family of Dianna Redmon, who was shot in the back of the head while reading her Bible in January 2017 by nephew Ronnie Rawlin, according to the Mountain Democrat in Placerville.

Rawlin was raised by Redmon and her husband, Grady Redmon, the Mountain Democrat reported.

Rawlin, now 20, was arrested at Ponderosa High School on Jan. 19, 2017, after a loaded gun was found in his locker. He was charged with first-degree murder. Redmon’s body was later found by her daughter, Tammy Ussery, on the family’s property in Shingle Springs, according to the Placerville newspaper.

Dianna Redmon was 65. She was a renowned quilter and a member of the Folsom Quilt and Fiber Guild.

Rawlin told the court that he regretted his actions, according to the Mountain Democrat.

“I did something horrible that I shouldn’t have done,” he said.

This story was originally published July 2, 2020 at 1:04 PM.