Jurors Find 'Gilligan Robber' Guilty Of Voluntary Manslaughter

Jurors in Redwood City Tuesday afternoon found a 53-year-old man guilty of voluntary manslaughter for stabbing his wife to death in 2007, and convicted him of seven unrelated robberies that earned him the nickname "Gilligan Robber."

Robert Lomas faces a maximum sentence of 19 years in prison for the May 21, 2007, death of Linda Lomas, whom he had known since they were both 16.

Linda Lomas was found lifeless inside the couple's home on Huntington Avenue in the unincorporated North Fair Oaks area of Redwood City. She had been stabbed multiple times.

Lomas' maximum sentence also includes time for the conviction of seven felony counts of robbery. Lomas committed a string of thefts throughout the Bay Area that prompted the nickname "Gilligan Robber" due to the floppy, fisherman-style hat he wore during the crimes.

Deputy District Attorney Ivan Nightengale said during closing arguments that Lomas was angry because he believed his wife was being unfaithful and "refused to let her go." He also said Lomas was convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence against his wife just weeks earlier.

Defense attorney Richard Keyes, however, said the fatal stabbing ensued because Lomas was feeling "sad" and "betrayed." He asked the jurors for the voluntary manslaughter conviction as opposed to murder.

Lomas would have faced 33 years to life in prison had he been convicted of first-degree murder.