Covelo residents Iran Lee Hoaglen III, 43, and Lawrence Allen Joaquin, 37, were sentenced for the unprovoked murder of an agricultural worker in 2023. Hoaglen received 25 years to life for first-degree murder, having wielded the hatchet. He was on parole at the time of the murder. Joaquin was sentenced to 17 years for voluntary manslaughter, having aided in acquiring the weapon and setting up the victim. Both men have extensive prior criminal records. The case was presided over by Mendocino County Superior Court Judge Keith Faulder.