The murderer of the Oceanside officer convinced again to life imprisonment without probation

San Diego (CNS) – A man who shot and killed an Oceanside police officer when he was 17 years old was sentenced to life imprisonment on Tuesday without the possibility of probation, marking the second time he has been sentenced to life imprisonment without probation without probation by law. killing

Meki Gaono, now 36 years old, was convicted of first degree murder for the murder of the gangs of December 20, 2006 to the officer Daniel Bessant. The prosecutors say that while Bessant was helping another officer at a traffic stop, Gono trained a rifle to the 25 -year legislator from the street and opened fire, killing Bessant and almost hitting another officer.

Gaonus was tried as an adult and sentenced in 2009, but due to the changes in state law, his case returned to the jurisdiction of the Court of Minors and was granted a youth transfer hearing that he did not receive at the time of prosecution.

If his case had remained under the jurisdiction of the Court of Minors, he would probably have been released from custody and put under a period of probation of two years, but a judge ruled last month that his case would be in the jurisdiction of the Adult Court .

Then, Gaono had to be sentenced again and this time he was eligible for a sentence that included the possibility of probation, but the judge of the Superior Court of San Diego, Peter Deddeh, sentenced Gaono on Tuesday to life without probation, In addition to 51 years.

Despite life without probation judgment, another change of state law means that Gaono is expected to receive a probation hearing in the coming years because he was a youth criminal.

Prosecutors argued that life without probation was justified due to the intentional nature of the murder and danger to other officers and civilians when Gaono opened fire.

The deputy prosecutor of District Ted Fiorito called the murder “an insensitive and orchestrated murder” that occurred because “according to Mr. Gaono, the police were being falsified by the gang.” Prosecutors said the murder occurred for a period in which the Oceanside police focused on the activity of gangs in the “rear door” area of ​​the city near the Pendleton camp.

Gono’s lawyer, Jimmy Rodríguez, requested a 25 -year sentence for life. During the youth transfer procedures last month and the Judgment Hearing on Tuesday, Rodríguez argued that Gaono’s age at the time of crime, his education and subsequent reforming efforts, although imprisoned justified a sentence that included a certain possibility of being released .

Rodríguez said that when Gaono was originally sentenced, the courts were not so informed of the science that surrounds the development of the adolescent brain and its effect on the decision making of young people. He also argued that Gaono grew in a “gang infestious” community, where it was “unusual not to be part of the gang because he was so intertwined to grow in that neighborhood.”

Since he was originally sentenced, Gaono “reformed about his own will” even before the changes in the law gave him any hope of leaving the prison, Rodriguez said.

The defense lawyer said that Gono resigned from the affiliations of his gang while in prison and took a “non -violence pact” more than a decade ago.

The judge also listened to Bessant’s father, Steve Bissant, and the Chief of Oceanside Taurino Valdovinos, who said he was a friend and partner of Bessant. Valdovinos said that due to another commitment, he could not be there with his partner on the night of December 20.

“He should have been with Dan that night to help him protect him,” said Valdovinos, who said that all the Oceanside Police officers who served with Bessant “continue with the weight of their loss.”

After the audience, Steve Bessant said: “Today’s decision was fair.”

Bessant said his son was born and grew up in Oceanside, he loved the community and “he was very happy to protect and serve the people from the oceanside.”

Regarding Gono, Bessant said he has no bad will towards him, but feels that he should be “separated” from society.

“When a police officer registers, he enters his car and goes out in turn, they need to be sure that the community supports them and that the legal system also supports them. We saw that today.”

Together with Gaono, two other gang members were sentenced and sentenced in the murder, including the coacusado Penifoti Taeotoui, who is expected to seek a similar audience in the future.

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