Killer of Bay Area Hells Angel gets life

A California biker was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the 2008 death of the president of the San Francisco chapter of the Hells Angels. Christopher Ablett, a member of the Modesto chapter of the Mongols, was given three life sentences in connection with the fatal fight outside a saloon in San Francisco's Mission District that left Mark Guardado dead. "The defendant killed a complete stranger for no reason other than his membership in a rival motorcycle gang," U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag said in a written statement. "This sentence should send a clear message that there is a heavy price to pay for engaging in such a senseless act of violence." While murder in itself is a state crime, Ablett was convicted in federal court on charges of using a firearm and murder in the aid of racketeering. Haag's statement said Ablett killed Guadardo to advance his status in the Mongols, which is considered an organized crime gang. Ablett allegedly courted trouble by drinking in a bar on Guadardo's turf while wearing a Mongol shirt. Guadardo accosted Ablett outside the bar and wound up being shot twice and stabbed four times. Ablett was convicted in February after arguing he had killed Guadardo in self-defense.