Former Bend campus security officer receives second life sentence

EUGENE, Ore. — A former campus safety officer at Central Oregon Community College was sentenced Thursday to life in federal prison for kidnapping and carjacking.

According to court documents, between July 24th and July 26th, 2016, Edwin Lara went on a violent crime spree across Oregon and Northern California. It began in the early morning of July 24th, 2016, when Lara brutally murdered 23-year-old Bend woman, Kaylee Sawyer. He then kidnapped an Oregon woman and drove to California where he shot an elderly man, and stole his car.

Lara is already facing a life sentence for murdering Sawyer. Today, he was sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping and carjacking.

“Edwin Lara is a ruthless killer who will rightfully spend the rest of his life in prison,” said Billy J. Williams, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon. “There is simply no place in civil society for this type of horrific violence. I sincerely hope Lara’s two life sentences will bring some measure of comfort to his victims and their families. Their courage and perseverance throughout Lara’s lengthy state and federal cases are an inspiration to the entire law enforcement community.”