Rossmoor woman, 72, convicted of shooting-murder of her mother, 96

Christine Reynolds

A jury on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2015, convicted a Rossmoor woman of murdering her mother in 2014.

A jury found Christine Marie Reynolds, 72, Rossmoor, guilty of one felony count of first-degree murder with a sentencing enhancement for discharging a firearm, causing death. She faces a maximum sentence of 50 years to life in state prison at her sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for 9 a.m., Friday, Dec. 18, 2015. The maximum sentence means she would not be eligible for parole.

According to prosecutors, at approximately 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 28, 2014, Reynolds used a firearm to murder her mother Gretchen DeStefano, 96, by shooting DeStefano in the head in their Rossmoor home.

Shortly after the shooting, another resident in the home contacted the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, who investigated this case and arrested the defendant.