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Thread: John Hernandez Felix - California Death Row

  1. #31
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    Man Found Guilty In Slayings Of 2 Palm Springs Police Officers, Could Face Death Penalty

    By CBS Los Angeles

    INDIO (CBSLA/AP) – A jury Monday found a 28-year-old man guilty of murdering two Palm Springs police officers and wounding six other officers during a shootout back in October of 2016.

    John Hernandez Felix was found guilty Monday in Riverside County Superior Court in Indio of two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of officers Jose Gilbert Vega, 63, and Lesley Zerebny, 27. He was also found guilty of six counts of attempted murder of a peace officer.

    The jury also found that the special circumstances of murder of a peace officer and multiple murders to be true, which makes Felix eligible for the death penalty.

    The trial will move to the penalty phase Tuesday, where jurors will decide whether to recommend the death penalty for Felix.

    https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2019...esley-zerebny/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  2. #32
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    Testimony Continues in Cop-Killer Penalty Trial

    By MyNewsLA.com

    The stepdaughter of a Palm Springs police veteran killed by a man who fired an AR-15 rifle from inside his family’s home testified Tuesday that the lawman brought joy into her mother’s life, and she was devastated when her husband died.

    Andrea Murray, stepdaughter of Officer Jose Gilbert “Gil” Vega, recalled her mother’s reaction the day Vega was killed along with rookie Officer Lesley Zerebny outside the home of John Felix Hernandez, who was convicted May 20 of the shooting deaths.

    “She says, `Mija, what am I gonna do now? What am I gonna do without my husband?”’ Murray said of her mother.

    Murray said her mother’s “whole demeanor” changed when she began seeing Vega in the early 2000s.

    “Her smile was even different a little,” Murray said. “Happiness just started trickling into her life.”

    Murray testified in the penalty phase of Felix’s trial, during which jurors will recommend either the death sentence or life in prison without parole for the 28-year-old defendant.

    Vega, 63, was killed just months before he was set to retire after three decades of service.

    Vega was the second-to-youngest of 10 siblings. All six boys in the family had the first name Jose, the officer’s brother, Jose Hector Vega, testified.

    Jose Hector Vega said his brother had always been shy as a child, but becoming a police officer helped him “tremendously” to become more outgoing. He also said he had been trying to convince his police officer brother to retire for years, worrying the job was too dangerous.

    “I feel guilty … because I couldn’t convince him,” Jose Hector Vega told jurors. “He loved his job. He would always tell me that. He loved his job.”

    Jose Gilbert Vega’s son, Gilbert, said he learned a lot from his father.

    “He was fair to me in everything he did,” Gilbert Vega said.

    Felix was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder, along with six counts of attempted murder for opening fire at police on Oct. 8, 2016, as they amassed outside his family’s home in the 2700 block of Cypress Avenue.

    Officers initially responded to the home in response to a domestic disturbance call. Felix was also convicted of unlawful possession of an assault weapon, unlawful weapon possession by a prohibited person and unlawful possession of ammunition. Jurors found true special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer and multiple murders, opening Felix to the possible death sentence.

    Zerebny, 27, had been with the department for 18 months and had just returned to duty following maternity leave, having given birth to a daughter, Cora, four months earlier.

    Felix’s defense attorney Jacob Devane argued last week that jurors should spare his client from the death penalty, saying the Palm Springs man has intellectual disabilities.

    Deputy District Attorney Michelle Paradise countered that the killings of two police officers warranted the death penalty.

    https://mynewsla.com/crime/2019/05/2...penalty-trial/
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  3. #33
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    Jury Recommends Death Sentence for Man Who Killed 2 Palm Springs Officers

    By City News Service

    A man who wildly fired an AR-15 rifle from inside his family's home, killing two Palm Springs police officers who had responded to a domestic-disturbance call at the residence, should be sentenced to death, a jury recommended Thursday.

    Jurors deliberated for less than two hours before recommending the death sentence for 28-year-old John Hernandez Felix, who was convicted May 20 of murder and other charges for the killings of veteran Officer Jose Gilbert "Gil" Vega, 63, and rookie officer Lesley Zerebny, 27.

    The officers were killed Oct. 8, 2016, as they stood outside the Felix family home in the 2700 block of Cypress Avenue in Palm Springs. Sentencing for Felix was scheduled for Aug. 30. In addition to two counts of first-degree murder, Felix was also convicted of six counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of an assault weapon, unlawful weapon possession by a prohibited person and unlawful possession of ammunition.

    Jurors also found true special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer and multiple murders, opening Felix to the death sentence. Vega was killed just months before he was set to retire after three decades of service. Zerebny had been with the department for 18 months and had just returned to duty following maternity leave, having given birth to a daughter, Cora, four months earlier.

    Deputy District Attorney Manny Bustamante told jurors during the trial that Felix fired 21 shots from inside his family's home as police stood outside. He said Felix carried out an intentional "ambush" on police, who had been called to the home 37 times previously due to his erratic behavior.

    Defense attorney John Dolan unsuccessfully argued that at worst, his client was guilty of voluntary manslaughter. While conceding that Felix's actions were "horrible," Dolan argued his client's auditory processing disorder and intense emotions -- combined with methamphetamine use -- created a "perfect storm" of irrational decision-making.

    Vega and Zerebny were the first Palm Springs police officers killed in the line of duty since Jan. 1, 1962, when Officer Lyle Wayne Larrabee died during a vehicle pursuit.

    The only other death in the department was that of Officer Gale Gene Eldridge, who was fatally shot on Jan. 18, 1961, while investigating an armed robbery.

    https://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/l...510641061.html
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #34
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    Man convicted of killing two Palm Springs police officers sentenced to death

    368 years to life for non-murder charges

    By Jesus Reyes
    KESQ News

    INDIO, Calif. - A man convicted of killing two Palm Springs Police Officers was sentenced to death on Friday.

    On October 8, 2016, Palm Springs Police Officers Jose "Gil" Vega, 63, and Lesley Zerebny, 27, were shot and killed by John Hernandez Felix, 28, with an AR-15 rifle during a domestic disturbance call at Felix's family home on the 2700 block of Cypress Avenue.

    Initially, Judge Villalobos issued a sentence relating to the attempted murders and of other PSPD officers and other charges, which totaled 368 years in prison. A short time later, the judge issued the sentence for the murders of Vega and Zerebny, which was death.

    A jury found Felix guilty on all 11 counts for the murders of both officers on May 20, 2019.

    Felix was found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder, 6 counts of attempted murder of a peace officer, a charge of unlawful possession of an assault weapon, a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and a charge of unlawful possession of ammunition by a prohibited person.

    https://www.kesq.com/news/man-convic...day/1114879335
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

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