Murderer gets 17 years

Chicoan Christopher Swihart was sentenced earlier this month (May 12) to 17 years to life in prison after pleading no contest to second degree murder in the killing of Cass Edison. He showed no remorse during the hearing, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

“Murder is always horrible, but this particular crime had a level of brutality we rarely see here,” Ramsey said. “The defendant stripped our victim of her humanity. The defendant treated her like so much refuse to be tossed away after his foul crime.”

The 55-year-old Edison’s body was located in a trailer Swihart owned in March 2015. He confessed to a friend that he’d lured Edison to his home with booze—she was homeless and an alcoholic. Edison apparently made Swihart angry, so he bound her and beat her until she died.

Swihart has three prior felony domestic violence convictions.