A man who was 17 when he shot and killed an Oceanside police officer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The decision marked the second time that Meki Gaono, now 36, has been sentenced to life without parole for the slaying of Officer Daniel Bessant nearly 20 years ago.
A jury convicted him in 2009 of first-degree murder for the Dec. 20, 2006 gang-related shooting of Bessant, 25. Gaono was tried as an adult, but due to recent changes in state law his case was eligible to be reviewed in juvenile court.
If that had come to pass, he could have been released from custody and placed on two-years probation, but a judge ruled last month that his case would stay in the adult court’s jurisdiction.
The legal maneuvering led to Tuesday’s re-sentencing – this time Gaono was eligible for one that included the possibility of parole – but San Diego Superior Court Judge Peter Deddeh ruled that Gaono would serve a life term without parole, plus 51 years to life.
Another state law change, however, means Gaono is expected to receive a parole hearing in the coming years because he killed Bessant as a youthful offender.
Prosecutors argued that the harsher sentence was warranted due to the intentional nature of the killing and the danger to other officers and civilians when Gaono opened fire.
They say that as Bessant assisted another officer on a traffic stop, Gaono trained a rifle on him from down the street and opened fire, killing the officer and nearly striking one of his colleagues.
Deputy District Attorney Ted Fiorito called the killing “a callous, orchestrated murder” that happened because “according to Mr. Gaono, the gang was being disrespected by the police.” Prosecutors said the killing occurred during a period when Oceanside police were particularly focused on gang activity in the city’s “back gate” near Camp Pendleton.
Gaono’s attorney, Jimmy Rodriguez, asked for a 25-year-to-life sentence. During last month’s juvenile transfer proceedings and Tuesday’s sentencing, Rodriguez argued that Gaono’s age at the time of the crime, his upbringing and his efforts at reform while incarcerated justified a sentence that included some possibility of release.
The attorney said that when Gaono was originally sentenced, courts were not as informed of the science surrounding adolescent brain development and its effect on decision making. He also argued that Gaono grew up in a “gang-infested” community, where it was “unusual to not be a part of the gang.”
The judge also heard from Bessant’s father, Steve Bessant, and Oceanside Police Chief Taurino Valdovinos, who said he was friends and partners with Bessant. The chief said that due to another engagement, he wasn’t with his partner the night of Dec. 20.
“I should have been with Dan that night to help protect him,” said Valdovinos, who added that all of the Oceanside police officers who served alongside Bessant “continue to carry the weight of his loss.”
After the hearing, Steve Bessant said, “Today’s decision was just.”
Bessant said his son was born and raised in Oceanside, loved the community, and “took great joy in protecting and serving the people of Oceanside.”
Regarding Gaono, Bessant said he holds no ill will toward him, but feels he should be “separated” from society.
“When a police officer checks in, gets in their car, and goes out for their shift, they need to have the reassurance that the community backs them and that the legal system backs them too. We saw that today.”
Along with Gaono, two other gang members were convicted and sentenced in Bessant’s killing, including co-defendant Penifoti Taeotui, who is expected to seek a similar review of his case.
