Inset: William Bushey. Background: William Bushey's shotgun that he used to blast his mom, sister and nephew being shown in court (KFMB/YouTube).
A California man who blew away his sister and nephew with a shotgun "nobody knew he had" — along with his mother, who survived — after flying into a "rage" over his family moving a Wi-Fi router out of his room is headed to prison for the rest of his life.
William Bushey, 61, is set to die behind bars after being sentenced Wednesday in San Diego County to two terms of life without parole for his 2024 shooting rampage.
Prosecutors announced the sentence in a press release, condemning Bushey as being "savage and ruthless in the way he hunted down his own family" after they moved the Wi-Fi router out of his room, where he was known to play video games all day.
"Bushey confronted his family about the Wi-Fi being turned off and then went into his bedroom and retrieved a shotgun that he had purchased in 2012 but had kept secret," the DA's office recounted. "He loaded the shotgun to maximum capacity and armed himself with additional shells and went looking for his family. He fired six rounds from the shotgun as he pursued his mother and sister who fled toward the back patio."
Bushey was convicted of first-degree murder by a San Diego jury for killing his sister, Laurie Robinson, 61, and her son, Brett Robinson, 33, during a shooting at the family's Point Loma home. He also seriously wounded his mother, June Bushey, who was 86, after blasting her in the chest and hand, according to police, leading to the loss of three fingers.
"During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello presented evidence showing that the defendant found himself on the verge of being kicked out of the family home for his poor behavior and he blamed his sister and mother for it," the DA's office recalled. "This tension within the family ultimately erupted into the fatal shootings."
During Bushey's trial, prosecutors said he lived with his elderly mother "without contributing to the household" and interacted very little with family members for over a decade, according to the DA's office. He became upset when his sister moved into the home with them and carried out the shooting attack just nine days later.
"Bushey's agitated and aggressive behavior became so concerning that police were called to the house twice for disturbances," the DA's office said. "By the day of the shootings, the family was on the verge of beginning the eviction process for Bushey and had ordered a surveillance system to be installed in the home. The internet system that was based in Bushey's bedroom was relocated to another area of the home, upsetting him even further."
The Times of San Diego reported how prosecutors described in their opening statements what Bushey said to his family before retrieving his secret shotgun.
"Where's the internet?" Bushey asked.
"That's when the terror began," said Deputy District Attorney Scott Pirrello.
Bushey's mother, June Bushey, told jurors she "ran like hell" after he opened fire on the family.
"The neighbors were yelling at me to 'keep down,'" she reportedly testified.
Bushey's mother outlined how he was known to play computer games all day long while the Wi-Fi router was in his room. Moving it was the final straw, according to prosecutors.
"Sixty years of emotion, anger and resentment exploded into seconds of unthinkable violence," said Deputy Public Defender Denis Lainez during opening statements, while attempting to mount a defense that blamed Bushey's family for provoking him.
Bushey was known to allegedly have emotional outbursts in the past. Lainez told jurors he was depressed, "angry" and "confused" after he tested positive for HIV, and was unemployed.
"I'm sick; I'm dying," Lainez quoted his client as saying, according to the Times of San Diego. "I'm just a sick loser without a job."
Lainez claimed that Bushey "didn't mean to hurt" his mother and was wrestling with his nephew over the gun when it started going off.
"My entire life, I have refused to see doctors. I feel like nothing," Lainez quoted Bushey as saying. "I am going to be homeless. I am filled with rage."
In addition to the life sentences, Bushey was also ordered to serve 82 years in prison.
"We would not have let you be homeless," said family member Kyle Robinson, who is the twin brother of Brett Robinson, at Bushey's sentencing, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune.
"We would not have tried to make your life miserable," Kyle Robinson added. "Instead of accepting the empathy on the other side of your bedroom door, you stewed in resentment toward us for no good reason."
Bushey reportedly refused to speak at his sentencing, which his mother called out.
"You can't even face us, can you?" June Bushey told her son. "What you have done has been very selfish … We're going to survive. We're going to stay together as a family … You have a lot to make up (for), but I don't think you will. You don't have it in you. You never had it in you."