Edwards sentenced 88 years to life in Santa Cruz murder

UPDATE 3/25/2015: The Santa Cruz County Superior Court sentenced Charles Edwards to 88 years to life at San Quentin State Prison Wednesday afternoon.

Last month a jury found Edwards guilty of killing well-known Santa Cruz business owner Shannon Collins in 2012.

Edwards pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. But in February, a jury found him sane at the time of the murder.

PREVIOUS STORY: A Santa Cruz County judge said Charles Edwards has been found guilty in the 2012 murder of Shannon Collins.

Collins, 38, was the co-owner of Camouflage on Pacific Avenue. She was walking along Broadway in Santa Cruz to go to a hair appointment in May 2012 when she was attacked and fatally stabbed by Edwards.

Edwards has a history of mental illness and stints in prison. He was released from Atascadero State Hospital after a clerical error.

A hearing was supposed to be set for November 2011 but a corrections employee set a mandatory hearing date for April 2012 in the computer system.

Due to the glitch, Edwards was allowed to leave the hospital in January 2012.

Edwards only had a limited supply of medication when he walked out the doors of Atascadero State Hospital.