Man linked by DNA to deadly 2010 Fair Oaks robbery learns his prison sentence
After eluding authorities for nearly a decade, a North Highlands man has been sentenced for the 2010 killing of a man during a botched Fair Oaks robbery.
John Meskell, 47, of North Highlands was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for his role in the murder of 31-year-old Cristian Anton.
DNA advancements led Sacramento County sheriff’s detectives to Meskell after his arrest and arraignment in an unrelated robbery case in 2017.
On Feb. 8, 2010, Meskell and a still-unidentified second suspect entered Anton’s residence on the 7800 block of Winding Way, ambushing Anton’s younger brother in an attempt to rob him, according to previous Bee reporting.
A struggle between the suspects and Anton’s brother ensued, leaving Anton with a fatal gunshot to the stomach after he joined the fight. Anton’s brother received minor injuries after being pistol-whipped.
The case went cold for seven years before the Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation and Meskell’s DNA was found on one of the zip ties used to bind the victim, prosecutors said. That DNA was linked to Meskell using advancements at the Sacramento County District Attorney’s crime lab.
Meskell, who was on probation at the time, was arrested in January 2020, three years after the discovery of his DNA. On Dec. 1, a jury convicted him.
According to prosecutors, two unregistered guns used in the crime were recovered while one remains missing.
Meskell’s history included a no-contest plea to receiving stolen property in 1996, a plea agreement to a theft in 1994 and a no-contest plea in the 2017 case, according to court documents. He was acquitted in a robbery case in 2010, records show.
The sentencing was announced Friday by the District Attorney’s Office.
“This case would not have been solved without the incredible passion and hard work of retired detectives Michaela Links and Christopher Joachim from the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office and Michael Mullaly from the Sacramento Police Department,” a news release stated.
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 3:26 PM.