According to reports, Patricia was already dead when Pollard bound her wrists with plastic zip ties and a leather purse strap and then proceeded to sexually assault her remains.
He then stole several items from the house, which included money, a rifle, and a samurai sword, and fled the scene.
Cole Pollard caught hiding at a campsite
The police eventually caught up to Pollard two days later at a campsite where he was hiding out, about 70 miles from the scene of the murder.
The prosecution argued that the murder was premeditated and intentional and that Pollard intended to rape his victim first and then kill her.