Lenard Chester (DOB: 04-22-61), of Oxnard, was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole by Judge Ryan Wright. On June 22, 2020, Chester was convicted by jury of the first-degree murder of Leah Bullis, aged 81, of Oxnard, with the special circumstances that the murder was committed while in the commission of rape and burglary.Â
Chester severely beat and raped Ms. Bullis in her home in Oxnard between the evening of November 30, and the morning of December 1, 1980. Ms. Bullis was found in her bedroom late in the morning by neighbors and later died at the hospital. In 2018, Chester was identified using forensic DNA analysis. The case was investigated by the Oxnard Police Department.