Yolo County Murderer Calls Attorney Racist During Sentencing, Judge 'Klansman' After

YOLO COUNTY (CBS13) — A man found guilty of murdering his ex-girlfriend lashed out at the judge and his attorney during his sentencing on Monday.

William Gardner was convicted of ambushing and shooting his ex-girlfriend Leslie Pinkston in broad daylight.

The courtroom was thick with emotion during the sentencing phase when Gardner called his own attorney a racist and claims he conspired with the prosecution.

"When are they going to give me a fair and impartial trial?" Gardner said.

Defiant to the end, Gardner now faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Before he learned his fate, Gardner was allowed to address the court, ripping his own attorney and calling him a racist who conspired with the prosecution.

"I never had a fair trial. He's been working with the prosecution from jump!" he said, adding, "My defense attorney called me a n-----."

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig says he's not surprised about Gardner's outburst.

"His behavior has been consistent since the moment he committed the crime which has been despicable," he said.

When it was time for the victim's family to speak about their loss, Gardner showed no emotion and instead just smirked.

Before his arrest in November 2013, he was cornered by a SWAT team in a Las Vegas home. He made a surprise call to CBS13's Derek Shore.

"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.

Prosecutors painted Gardner as a typical abusive, jealous boyfriend who snapped when he learned Pinkston had a new boyfriend.

His actions in court on Monday didn't surprise the victim's family.

"I just think it's more antics that is up to," said Pinkston's cousin Nicole Brakefield.

She says he's a typical domestic violence bully who wanted to control Pinkston.

"He's never taken responsibility for anything he has done and of course he's blaming everybody," he said.

As Gardner walked out of the courtroom, he had a message for the judge.

"They need to give me a fair and impartial trial and the judge is a f------ klansman," he said.

The judge concluded that Gardner did get a fair trial, and that he would not grant him a retrial.