For the better part of two years, Anthony Rauda could be found sleeping in or around Malibu Creek State Park, one of any number of people who chose to spend their nights dozing near the popular hiking trails.
But while the campers used the beach-adjacent recreation area as a quick getaway, Rauda stayed. Prosecutors say he was using the park and the surrounding area for a different purpose: as a hunting ground.
In November 2016, a man who was sleeping outside while hiking the Backbone Trail awoke to a loud bang and said he felt a “burning sensation” in his arm. He looked down to find pellets from a shotgun blast embedded in his skin.
The hiker was the first of 11 people to find themselves in Rauda’s sights over the next two years, prosecutors said Monday. Rauda, 42, allegedly opened fire on campsites and cars seven times between November 2016 and last July, when a rifle blast killed 35-year-old Tristan Beaudette as he camped with his daughters.
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