Man Sentenced To Life In Prison For Murdering Ex-Girlfriend In Winters

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) - The Sacramento man convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend in downtown Winters in 2013 has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.

William Gardner III was found guilty in October on all charges in the shooting death of Leslie Pinkston on November 18, 2013 while she sat in her car.

Gardner was convicted of homicide with a firearm, with special circumstances of lying in wait and of murdering a witness; homicide; felony possession of a firearm; making death threats; committing a felony while out on bail; and vandalism.

Weeks after the murder, and on the run, Gardner was cornered in a Las Vegas home by a SWAT team. Before surrendering, he made a surprise phone call to CBS13.

"I know that even if I tell police the full story, the full story is never going to come out," he said in the interview. "Those that know me, they actually know me. They know who I am; they know how good I am; they know how solid I am as an individual, You know, who don't know me, they can only speculate."

During the trial, Gardner was painted as a manipulative, abusive boyfriend who snapped when he learned Pinkston had a new boyfriend.

She tried to break it off with Gardner the night before her demise. Prosecutors showed a text Pinkston sent to Gardner saying "Goodbye Will. This will be my last text."

Pinkston was found dead the next day.

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