David James Krause Sentenced to 30 Years to Life for the Murder

Author: District Attorney
Date: 10/28/2022 10:10 AM

David James Krause Sentenced to 30 Years to Life for the Murder of Lawrence “Larry” Bross of Oceano.

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District Attorney Dan Dow announced today that David James Krause (DOB 11/22/79) has been sentenced to 30 years to life in prison for the second degree murder of Larry Bross.

On January 24, 2019, Mr. Bross (90) was found deceased in his residence in Oceano.  An exhaustive investigation by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office ensued, wherein Krause was identified as a suspect.  Investigative leads ran thin until April of 2021, when evidence gathered during the investigation was re-examined. Mr. Boss’s blood, confirmed by DNA analysis, was located on a shoe seized from Krause on January 25, 2019.  Based on the newly discovered DNA evidence Krause was arrested and charged with the murder of Mr. Bross. 

On October 4, 2022, Krause pleaded guilty to second degree murder and elder abuse resulting in death.  He also admitted a prior conviction for residential burglary, a “strike” under California’s Three Strikes sentencing law, doubling his sentence to 30 years to life.

Larry Bross, moved to Oceano full-time in 1988 after serving in the Coast Guard during the Korean War, then teaching high school History and Government for 30 years in Northern California. 

At the sentencing hearing Mr. Bross’s daughter offered the following appreciation for her father, “my father was a collector of ideas and people.  When he walked the beach he would strike up conversations and invite people to his home, a place where he loved to share his art and wisdom, and that zest for life that he just had. Our home was a place of peace for our family, friends, and strangers alike – and my father, a rock amid the turmoil of life.”  

Mr. Bross’s son added that his father “was the center of our family. He formed the basis of our identity as Brosses. He was living his best life in Oceano in the cabin he turned into a home over a 50-year period. He was active in the community and welcomed family, friends and strangers alike with open arms. In community meetings that I attended after his murder it became clearer to me how important and loved a figure my father was in Oceano.”

“Although this sentence will not alter the impact of this senseless crime, it is an important step in the grieving process for the Bross family,” said District Attorney Dan Dow.  “We thank the Sheriff’s Office for their dogged determination in solving this crime and striving to keep our community safe.  Our hearts remain with the Bross family and loved ones who are suffering the pain of his loss.”

The case was investigated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Julie Antos.

A copy of the Information (charging document) can be found here.  A copy of the defendant’s booking photo can be found here.

Please contact Assistant District Attorney Eric J. Dobroth at 805.781.5819 with any questions.