Three siblings whose half-sister was killed by a California Army National Guard sergeant in Culver City reached a settlement this week in their wrongful death suit against the state.
Jo Ann Crystal Harris was beaten to death with a baseball bat wielded by Sgt. Scott Ansman on the gymnasium floor of the Culver City armory on Aug. 24, 2007. She met Ansman while coming to the armory for its homeless shelter winter services and later tried to become a recruit.
Ansman had called 911 to report Harris’ death and was arrested that same day. The 15-year military veteran was a full-time supply sergeant at the armory.
Additional defense testimony had been scheduled to be heard in the trial, but the lawyers told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kevin Brazile that the case had been resolved.
“We felt it was fair,” said attorney Mark Geragos on of plaintiffs Gerald, Suzette and Deborah Bennett.
Ansman, a married father of three, admitted he had sex with Harris at an Orange County hotel while both were intoxicated. Afterward, he mistakenly believed Harris was pregnant with his baby, in part because the 29-year-old victim initially told others the fetus was indeed his, according to trial testimony.
Ansman, now 38, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder — one for Harris and one for her fetus — and was sentenced in September 2009 to life in prison without the possibility of parole. DNA tests showed he did not father the fetus.
The Bennetts maintained their half-sister’s death could have been avoided if officials investigated Sgt. Erik Hein’s allegations that Ansman was plotting against Harris and her unborn child. Hein also was assigned to the Culver City armory and maintains his military career took a hit because he came forward and urged his superiors to address Ansman’s threats against Harris and his strange behavior before he killed the woman.
