Daniel Wozniak sentenced to death for killing 2 friends to fund his wedding

SANTA ANA – For the families of Samuel Herr and Juri “Julie” Kibuishi, it was the end of a six-year wait for justice.

Daniel Patrick Wozniak, a 31-year-old former community theater actor from Costa Mesa, was sentenced to death on Friday for killing the two in an attempt to fund his 2010 wedding.

Dozens of those close to the victims filled the courtroom. They hugged and wiped away tears after Judge John D. Conley handed down the death sentence in a case delayed for years after it got swept up in an Orange County informant scandal.

“It’s a relief,” said Julie’s mother, June Kibuishi. “We’ve been waiting more than six years for this day to come.”

A jury on Jan. 11 deliberated for one hour, 14 minutes before recommending the death penalty, one of the shortest death penalty deliberations in Orange County history.

Jury forewoman Jenny Wong was one of several jurors who came for the sentencing.

“I’m just glad we were able to in some small way provide closure for the family,” she said.

Sitting quietly next to his attorney, Wozniak stared straight ahead as the judge read the sentence. He will join more than 740 other inmates on San Quentin’s death row. “We’re happy for the family that justice was finally done,” said Senior Deputy District Attorney Matt Murphy, who prosecuted the case.