Man gets 50 to life in Westlake wife murder

Tim Gautier will be eligible for parole


Gautier

Gautier

In one of the quickest murder cases in Ventura County history, a Thousand Oaks man has been sentenced to 50 years to life in state prison for shooting and killing his wife in their Westlake apartment last year.

Last week’s sentencing hearing fell six days before the oneyear mark of the death of Gina Gautier, who was shot and killed Jan. 11, 2021.

Unlike most defendants, Tim Gautier invoked his right to a speedy trial. A judge bound him over for trial within weeks of his arrest and a jury took less than 24 hours to find him guilty after a two-week trial in September.

Gautier, 56, testified in his own defense, arguing that he shot his wife only after she attacked him with a skillet.

Prosecutors countered with audio evidence taken from a camera located inside the home (but aimed outdoors) that recorded both the day of the murder as well as the week leading up to it. The camera recorded Gautier verbally abusing his wife day after day, prosecutors said.

The shooting happened just before 7 a.m. at the Westlake Canyon apartments. Deputies arriving at the complex found Gina Gautier, 57, unresponsive and shot multiple times.

Tim Gautier, a religious film producer and writer, will be in his 80s before he is eligible for parole. Judge Anthony Sabo gave him 25 years to life for first-degree murder and another 25 years for using a gun to cause great bodily injury, court records show.

Gautier’s defense had requested probation. Multiple family members testified during the Jan. 5 hearing, records show.

Gautier is awaiting transfer to California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in Wasco.