A California survivalist has been indicted in the murder of a father who was shot during a summer camp trip in front of his young daughters.
Anthony Rauda pleaded not guilty to a 16-count indictment charging him with the murder of 35-year-old Tristan Thomas Beaudette in June 2018.
Additionally, Rauda is facing ten counts of attempted murder, including Beaudette’s two-year-old and four-year-old daughters, and five counts of second-degree commercial burglary.
Anthony Rauda (pictured) has been indicted in the murder
of Tristan Thomas Beaudette in 2018
According to reports, Rauda allegedly shot Beaudette in the early morning of June 22, 2018 while sharing a tent with daughters.
The family was camping in Malibu Creek State Park for what was supposed to be a final camping trip before the family moved from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Beaudette, who was a pharmaceutical scientist, took the children while his wife Erica Wu studied for an exam at home.
The father was shot in his upper chest, but his two daughters were unharmed.
At the time, Rauda had a string of weapon-related convictions dating back to 2006, according to a criminal complaint.
Pictured: Beaudette (left), his wife Erica Wu (right) and their two children before Beaudette was killed in 2018
Authorities say that Rauda carried out attacks starting November 2016 when he allegedly wounded a man who was sleeping in a hammock near the Malibu State Park area.
He is accused of firing a shot at a vehicle less than a week later and shooting into vehicles on three separate occasions in 2017.
Rauda is also being held for a series of burglaries in the Agoura Hills/ Calabasas area where someone smashed a vending machine and stole food from the Calabasas Community Center.
Similar incidents were reported at several offices and buildings in the Malibu Canyon area.
In all the recorded heists, the suspect only stole food.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office believed the burglaries could be related to Beaudette’s murder.
Authorities say that Rauda is a ‘survivalist’ who often slept outside in the Malibu area and the stolen food may have been to feed himself.
Erica Wu (left) filed a lawsuit against the sheriff’s department
for not disclosing to the publicpf previous shootings in the area
Authorities arrested Rauda after they found him at a ravine in the Malibu Canyon area while officers were searching the area.
They followed a series of fresh footprints until they found Rauda dressed in all black and carrying a rifle.
They booked him for parole violations at the time and investigated whether he was involved in eight thefts that spanned two years.
Sheriff Jim McDonnell said: ‘Shortly after that they heard movement amongst the brush, followed by observing a male adult wearing black clothing, walking quickly, who resembled the suspects in the burglaries.’
Authorities later said that evidence from Rauda linked him to the crimes, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department.
‘A concentrated effort by detectives to unearth the past activities of Rauda correlating with this investigation has revealed that he apparently acted alone during this identified crime spree, stretching from November 2016 to October 2018. No similar crimes have been reported in the area since the October 2018 arrest of Rauda,’ they said.
Wu described her Beaudette as a,’ devoted husband and father whose life revolved around,’ his family.
She said: ‘In everything that he did, Tristan was kind, selfless, and giving, and had a natural ability to connect with just about anyone.’
‘I may never understand why our time together was cut short, but we had an incredible journey and I am so grateful for every day I had with him.’
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