Cory Spurlock
A last-minute effort to seek the death penalty in a Mono County double homicide may result in the supervised release of a man who has been in federal custody for the last two years.
Cory Spurlock is seeking pre-trial release after a June 6 trial was vacated when Federal Judge Miranda Du rejected federal prosecutors’ efforts to seek the death penalty a dozen days before the beginning of an April trial.
Spurlock’s four-week trial was vacated after prosecutors said they would appeal Du’s ruling that they couldn’t seek the death penalty.
That leaves the case against Spurlock in limbo, which means his pre-trial detainment exceeds the amount of time someone can be detained pending a trial, according to a June 6 ruling.
Spurlock, 37, has been in federal custody since May 16, 2023, and in state custody before that after he was identified in connection with the Nov. 7, 2020, double murder of Burbank, Calif., couple William and Yesenia Larsen.
Redding Calif., resident, Jered Stefansky was a third victim. Stefansky was last seen on June 19, 2020, when he drove to Mound House to pick up $400,000 from Larsen to purchase marijuana, according to his mother. On March 16, 2021, Stefansky’s remains were found in a shallow grave near Rye Patch Reservoir in Pershing County.
Prosecutors filed notice that they would not seek the death penalty in the case in July 2024. They sought to overturn that notice a dozen days before the original April 22 trial date. After Du’s ruling in May, prosecutors filed notice they would appeal, and a June 3 trial was vacated and no new trial date has been set.