Ojai Valley man sentenced for sledgehammer death of friend

An Ojai Valley man was sentenced to 18 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty last month in the 2019 sledgehammer death of his friend and roommate.

During the hearing in a Ventura courtroom, family and friends of the victim, 22-year-old Houston Auer, gave statements to Judge Derek Malan.

The defendant, Cameron Scott Lykins, also spoke during the sentencing hearing in Ventura County Superior Court.

Lykins, 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter on April 19. He had initially been charged with murder, but admitted to the lesser charge in a plea agreement. He also admitted to use of a deadly weapon, namely the sledgehammer, in the commission of the crime.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office recommended the 18-year sentence in agreement with Lykins' defense team.

Auer's family members read victim impact statements during Friday's session. The victim's mother spoke harshly about the legal process.

“I am appalled and disgusted with the outcome these courts have decided for punishment,” said Abigail Collins, mother of Auer, who cried as she addressed the court.

Collins also directed anger toward the defendant.

“Cameron Scott Lykins does not deserve a second chance, so help me God," Collins said. "...That is a life sentence for me every moment of every day. I got life and you deserve the same.”

Lehi Harris, Auer's uncle, told the court the crime had broken his family and they will never get over it.

His nephew's personality stood out, Harris said.

“If you talk to any of Houston’s real friends, they’ll tell you how funny and friendly he was,” Harris said while reading his statement. “Talk to his employer and the residents at the nursing home that he took care of, they’ll tell you how conscientious he was. Talk to former teachers and they’ll tell you what he’s like.”

Defendant speaks

Lykins also gave a statement, saying he expressed his “deepest regrets” for the pain and grief caused by his and Auer’s actions that night.

“I killed Houston Auer and I accept full responsibility for that and everything else that happened after he was killed,” Lykins said.

Lykins described how he killed his friend on May 12, 2019, with a small sledgehammer at the home where the two lived in Meiners Oaks.

“Before I got shot point blank, I picked up the hammer that he used to prop his door open and I hit him on the forehead, temple area,” Lykins said. “This whole confrontation was very fast and only lasted around one minute."

After the hearing, Senior Deputy DA Christopher Harman said Lykins hit Auer more than once with the weapon, which he described as a 3-pound sledgehammer widely available at hardware stores.

"The forensic evidence, as I mentioned at the trial, shows there were multiple blows to his head," Harman said of the victim's injuries during a phone interview. "(Lykins) may believe that’s what happened, but evidence disagrees with him."

The prosecutor described the sentence as an “unhappy compromise” but a just resolution.

“It’s just hard because Houston was killed in such a brutal manner,” Harman said.

Retrial avoided with plea

Prosecutors say Auer was in his bedroom in his grandmother's home, where both men lived on the property, when Lykins bludgeoned him to death. Lykins left through the bedroom window, dragging his friend's body with him, before later dumping the remains in Angeles National Forest.

A state fish and wildlife warden found Auer’s body while patrolling a road in the forest about six weeks later. Lykins fled to his mother’s home in Inyo County’s Lone Pine community, where he arranged for authorities to be contacted, prosecutors said.

A jury trial was underway on the initial murder charge when a mistrial was declared in February after evidentiary items were inadvertently placed in front of the jury, the DA's office has said.

In March, a new trial was approved. Procedural hearings had resumed in April when Lykins pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charge.

The DA's office said at the time new evidence uncovered by both sides, including text and verbal exchanges by the victim, weakened prosecutors' ability to prove malice.

For a murder conviction in California, malice and intent are required. Voluntary manslaughter occurs with a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion, according to California law.

Lykins remained housed at the county's main jail Friday night. He will later be transported to Wasco State Prison, court records show.

Kathleen Wilson contributed to this report

Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ojai Valley man sentenced to 18 years for sledgehammer death of friend