Convicted cop killer Jorge Banda will spend the rest of his life behind bars. This morning, Monday, in a Visalia courtroom, a judge sentenced Banda to life without parole.
In September, Banda was found guilty of killing Tulare County sheriff's deputy Kent Haws back in 2007 but his sanity remained in question. The jury later decided the 25 year-old was indeed sane when he committed the crime.
Both the prosecutors and the Haws family are satisfied with the sentence, despite the five year wait.
"We knew at the outset it would take a while because of the nature of the case and tried to prepare the family for that, but I knew we'd get to trial and I knew we would have the verdict we had," said David Alavezos, from the Tulare County DA's Office.
"I was disappointed the he didn't get the death penalty, but this is the next best thing," said Francisca Haws, the victim's widow.
Banda's life sentence includes a number of enhancements for special circumstances including killing a law enforcement official and both gang and gun use penalties.
TXT 24
Twitter
Facebook