LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — On Monday, a judge sentenced an Upper Lake man to state prison for a 2020 killing.

Christopher Jon McDonald, 45, was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for the murder of 48-year-old John Turner Dickerson of Nice.

McDonald entered a no contest plea to first-degree murder last month, days ahead of the scheduled start of his trial, as part of a plea agreement reached with the District Attorney’s Office, as Lake County News has reported.

The body of Dickerson, who moved from Maryland to California in 2011, was found in the Mendocino National Forest on Aug. 9, 2020.

An autopsy concluded Dickerson died of a gunshot wound and that his remains had been in the forest for several weeks by the time they were discovered.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office’s investigation resulted in a search warrant being served on McDonald’s property, which led to his arrest in early May 2021.

Deputy District Attorney Daniel Flesch said the killing was the result of “a marijuana deal gone bad,” in which Dickerson had allegedly “lost” 30 pounds of marijuana that belonged to McDonald.

McDonald’s attorney, Andrea Sullivan, told Lake County News last month that had he gone to trial and been convicted, he could have faced a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

The plea agreement makes McDonald eligible for parole, Sullivan said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.