Jury reaches verdict in Ojai Valley double-murder case

Editor's note: This story has been updated.

Jurors reached a verdict in the double-murder trial of 29-year-old Shawn Shirck Friday afternoon, finding him guilty of involuntary manslaughter but not the more serious charges of first- or second-degree murder.

The Ojai Valley man was accused of stabbing to death an Oak View woman and her elderly mother in August 2019. Shirck had pleaded not guilty to the murders of Margaret Dahl, 59, and her 82-year-old mother, Phyllis Porter, at the home where the women were living in Oak View and that his father owned.

The verdict was read in Ventura County Superior Court Friday afternoon. Jurors deliberated for about five hours starting Thursday afternoon.

The jury also found true the special allegation that Shirck used a deadly weapon during the homicides, in this case a knife.

He faces an estimated prison term of up to 10 years under the convictions for involuntary manslaughter and use of the knife.

He could have been sentenced to 52 years to life if found guilty of murder, his attorney Ayala Benefraim confirmed. Sentencing is scheduled at 8:30 a.m. June 20.

While both murder and involuntary manslaughter are defined as unlawful killings, manslaughter is done without malice and murder is done with it.

Shirck's state of mind was a key issue in the trial. The defense argued that Shirck could not form the intent to commit murder because he had consumed too much alcohol. He was unconscious even though he was moving physically, said Benefraim, a public defender.

Psychologist Stephanie Marcy told the jury that the defendant has post-traumatic stress disorder. She suggested that his brain lacked the ability to function logically because of the high level of alcohol as well as the childhood trauma he had experienced at the home where the homicides occurred.

Benefraim said she spoke with Shirck after the verdict but declined to disclose their conversation. He showed no emotion as he left the courtroom in Ventura where law enforcement officers, family members, attorneys and others gathered to hear the verdict.

"I'm just very proud of this jury for following the law and doing the right thing," Benefraim said.

Jurors could not be reached after they rendered their verdict. Benefraim said they told her afterward that they believed Shirck was unconscious and did not have the specific intent to commit murder. "The only way to involuntary manslaughter is by making the determination he was unconscious at the time of the homicides," she said.

Prosecutor Cynthia Nguyen, a senior deputy district attorney, argued during the trial that Shirck was conscious based on the crimes, the fact that he kept attacking the victims when they tried to fight back and his efforts to conceal what he had done.

A woman who described herself as Dahl's best friend said after the verdict was announced that she did not think the jury understood the consequences of Shirck's actions. "To me, he should have gotten murder," she said.

Kathleen Wilson covers crime, courts and local government for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at 805-437-0271 or kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Jury reaches verdict in Ojai Valley double-murder trial