Man who killed girlfriend, dumped dismembered body near Bay Farm Island gets maximum sentence

(KRON) — A man who killed his girlfriend, dismembered her body and dumped it in a trash bag near Bay Farm Island in Alameda has been sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for murder. Joseph Roberts, 43, was convicted by a jury in May of second-degree murder in the death of Rachel Elizabeth Imani Buckner, 27.

On Tuesday, Alameda County Judge Scott Patton sentenced Roberts and ordered him to pay $19,818 in restitution.

Buckner's dismembered body was found along a waterfront trail on Bay Farm Island on August 29, 2023. Evidence in the grisly case included the discovery of Roberts' DNA on a piece of duct tape used to seal the trash bag.

Roberts and Buckner shared an apartment in Pleasanton. Police records cited by the Alameda County district attorney indicate that police went to the apartment for several welfare checks and domestic violence calls.

Buckner was living with Roberts at the time of her disappearance. However, evidence presented at trial showed that he never reported her missing.

Before sentencing, Judge Patton told Roberts that “his crime was one of the most heinous he had ever seen,” the prosecutor's office said. The second-degree murder charge and the sentence of 15 years to life were the maximum possible, based on the evidence and circumstances of the case.

“Words cannot begin to describe what Rachel Imani Buckner’s family must be feeling right now after their loved one was tragically taken from them in such an unthinkable way,” said District Attorney Pamela Price. “While we hope this sentence provides some sense of closure, no punishment can ever erase what Joseph Roberts did to Rachel and the lasting impact it will have on her family.”

Roberts was credited with 300 days served and transferred to San Quentin State Prison, according to prosecutors.