Prosecutors said conflict built for days before the August 2024 shotgun attack.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A San Diego man was sentenced to two consecutive life prison terms without parole plus 82 years after prosecutors said he hunted down family members in a Point Loma home, killing his sister and nephew and leaving his mother with devastating injuries.
District Attorney Summer Stephan announced the sentence for William Bushey, 61, after a January jury verdict that found him guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and additional felonies tied to the shooting. Prosecutors said the case stood out because police had responded to earlier disturbances at the house, but the reported behavior did not meet the standard for criminal charges at the time. The sentence marks a major step in the court process for the 2024 killings.
Prosecutors said the violence erupted during a family dispute in August 2024 in Point Loma, a seaside area of San Diego. Bushey shot and killed his sister, Laurie Robinson, 61, and her son, Brett Robinson, 33, authorities said. His mother, June Bushey, was 86 at the time and survived, but sustained critical injuries, the district attorney’s office said. Stephan said the case showed how dangerous conflict can become when anger escalates inside the home.
In a statement after sentencing, Stephan called the attack a brutal act against relatives. “This defendant was savage and ruthless in the way he hunted down his own family,” she said. Stephan said she hoped the sentence would bring a measure of justice for the victims’ relatives and for the community. She also praised the prosecution team, led at trial by Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello, for what she described as dedicated work in a difficult case.
According to prosecutors, Bushey had lived with his elderly mother in the family’s Point Loma home for more than a decade and had little interaction with other relatives. He did not contribute to the household, authorities said. Prosecutors said he became upset when his sister moved into the home, changing a living situation that had been largely isolated for years. Over the next nine days, they said, his agitation and aggressive behavior grew and family members became increasingly concerned.
Police were called to the house twice during that period for disturbances, prosecutors said, but officers did not arrest Bushey because the incidents did not rise to criminal conduct. Family members began taking steps they believed would improve safety, prosecutors said, and they were close to starting an eviction process by the day of the shootings. Authorities said the family had ordered a surveillance system to be installed, reflecting how tense the situation had become inside the home.
Prosecutors said another dispute focused on the home’s internet setup. They said the internet equipment had been kept in Bushey’s bedroom and was relocated to another part of the house. Authorities said that change left him even more upset. After confronting relatives about the Wi-Fi being turned off, prosecutors said, Bushey went into his bedroom and retrieved a shotgun he had purchased in 2012 and kept secret from the family.
He loaded the shotgun to maximum capacity and carried extra shells as he moved through the house looking for relatives, prosecutors said. Authorities said he fired six rounds while his mother and sister ran toward the back patio. Prosecutors said the shooting killed Robinson and her son and left the mother with catastrophic injuries. She lost most of her right hand, prosecutors said, and suffered a gunshot wound that passed through her left upper abdomen and narrowly missed her heart.
In accounts given after the shooting, authorities said Bushey contacted emergency dispatch and acknowledged shooting his sister and nephew. When officers arrived, he was found outside the home and taken into custody, according to reports shared publicly about the case. Prosecutors said the jury later convicted him of premeditated attempted murder and elder abuse with a firearm, in addition to the murder counts, reflecting the harm done to the elderly victim who survived.
The verdict also included special circumstances for multiple homicides and a firearm allegation, prosecutors said, findings that can carry the harshest penalties under California law. The sentence imposed two life terms without parole and added 82 years in prison, the district attorney’s office said. Prosecutors did not provide details Wednesday about any planned post-sentencing motions, but convictions in cases of this kind are typically followed by appeals handled through higher courts.
Stephan said the case left deep loss for the victims’ family and friends, and she described domestic violence and elder abuse prosecutions as a major focus for her office. Authorities said the mother survived but suffered permanent, life-altering injuries. The district attorney’s office said the case remains a reminder of the danger that can build when fear and conflict take hold in a home.
Bushey remains in custody following sentencing, and no new hearing dates were announced by prosecutors. The district attorney’s office said the convictions and sentence now stand as the formal outcome of the trial, with any future changes depending on appellate review.
Author note: Last updated 2026-02-27.