John Hernandez Felix, was sentenced to death in Palm Springs, California on August 30, 2019. He was convicted of the murders of Palm Springs police officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny.
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[PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.kvcrnews.org/post/after-guilty-verdict-monday-penalty-phase-begins-trial-convicted-palm-springs-cop-killer] |
'I hope you burn in hell': Palm Springs cop killer John Hernandez Felix gets death sentence
A judge on Friday sentenced Palm Springs cop killer John Hernandez Felix to die for taking the lives of two officers nearly three years ago.
In addition, Felix was sentenced by Riverside Superior Court Judge Anthony Villalobos to 368 years to life for the gun battle in October 2016 that injured several others at his parents' home.
As Villalobos read his decision, after first explaining the relevant state laws, the packed courtroom sat in silence.
Earlier, family members spoke, sharing their pain, anger and hope that the judge will uphold a jury's recommendation in May and send Felix to his death in the slayings of Palm Springs police officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny.
Villalobos, who presided over Felix's murder trial earlier this year, first heard motions Friday from Felix's lawyers for a new trial and for a lighter sentence, which he rejected.
Felix looked dazed when the sentence was read, but remained still and quiet. Now sporting a clean-shaven scalp, he sat between his attorneys, wearing a dark blue suit and red tie. His face was clad in black, thick-rimmed glasses, the same ones he wore throughout his trial. He appeared visibly nervous as the hearing got underway.
“Mr. Felix, there’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said," Villalobos said to the condemned man. "Your calloused actions ruined many lives. I hope that what little was done here today will bring some peace to these families."
The judge earlier heard from those family members, whose lives were forever changed by Felix's actions.
Several of Zerebny's family members spoke, including her sister, Britta Kling. She asked the judge to uphold the jury's death recommendation.
"I hope he suffers," she told the judge. "Karma is a bitch and she has the entire Felix family written on her to-do list."
She added, "You can’t sufficiently sentence him for what he has done."
She called Felix a dog and asked the judge to put him down like one.
Felix opened fire on Oct. 8, 2016, when officers were dispatched to his house in response to a domestic dispute. He fired 21 shots at officers, killing two and injuring several others. Felix was arrested over 12 hours later when SWAT team members fired teargas into the home in which he barricaded himself.
Felix was convicted of first-degree murder in May for shooting the two officers to death in a premeditated plan to lure police to his parents' home and open fire. He also was convicted of attempted murder for shooting at six other officers and three firearms violations. Jurors deliberated just a few hours before reaching their verdict, recommending Felix be put to death for his crimes.
Matt Zerebny, Lesley Zerebny's father-in-law, described to the court the suffering that her family struggles with every day without her.
He noted that Felix threatened the officers who arrested him by saying he saw their faces and that they were next.
“God saw your face," Zerebny said while looking at Felix. "Vengeance is his."
Vega's wife Susana Vega took the stand to give a statement, but it was read by Andrea Murray, one of Vega's daughters. Susana Vega's statement said she and her daughters miss him dearly.
"I hope this sentence brings us closure," the statement read.
Nickole Rubio, Vega's goddaughter, said this case now is about the families who lost their two loved ones and said she spoke on behalf of the Vega family.
"You maybe ripped those two out of our hands but you made four families stronger," Rubio said to Felix. "The Vegas, Zerebnys, Klings and the police department."
Jose Hector Vega told the court that his fallen brother came from a family of 10, a single mother and no father in the household.
We weren’t allowed to use bathrooms at gas stations,” he said, noting how people felt about his family. “Mexicans hated us, white people hated us because we were brown, other people hated us because we were farm workers.”
Still, he said, “Gil didn’t turn out like you. Gil gave people second opportunities.”
Prosecutor Manny Bustamante read a statement from Dan and Marge Zerebny, who are the grandparents of officer Zerebny’s husband.
LuAnne Kling, Zerebny's mother, said her daughter “was so proud to be on the police force and we were proud of her.”
Her husband, David Kling, Lesley's father, agreed. He said he owed a debt of gratitude to the Palm Springs Police Department, Riverside County Sheriff's Department, prosecutors and even the judge. But Kling said he owed the jury his "eternal thanks.”
"Because we are talking about here is justice, that's what's been missing from our lives for two years," Kling said. "Because what we are talking about here is justice.”
He then spoke to Felix, “I don’t know if you know where you are going, but San Quentin is a living hell.
“You're gonna be sitting in that cage for a long time. My only message to you is: “I hope you burn in hell, Felix.”
He then stepped down, concluding the statements being made by relatives of victims.
Felix's trial began on April 17, and lasted for more than a month as witnesses testified in graphic detail about the shooting and friends and family shared heartfelt testimony of their loss.
The prosecuting attorneys, Michelle Paradise and Manny Bustamante, ultimately built a case that Felix had intentionally lured the officers to his house to kill them after he had gotten into a fight with family members.
On the last day of the trial, Paradise held up the AR-15 Felix used to fire at the officers that arrived at his house after his mother had called the police reporting her son was acting erratically.
"The police were called there to help a family with a domestic disturbance,” Paradise said. “And what did they get for their effort? Bullets through the heart."
John Dolan and Jacke Devane, Felix's attorneys, told the jury that Felix had a drug problem and a mental and intellectual deficiency. They attempted to make the case that Felix did not deserve the death penalty in light of these problems.
"John Felix deserves to be punished, should be punished and he will be punished,” Devane said. “Death is not the answer in this case, ladies and gentleman."
On May 30, the jury returned their unanimous death sentence recommendations for both murder counts within hours.
Friday the judge complied. After the sentence was read, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Paradise and Palm Springs Police Chief Bryan Reyes spoke to reporters.
Paradise said justice had been served.
"Make no mistake, the only reason he killed Officer Zerebny and Officer Vega is because they were doing their job," she said, adding that violence against law enforcement officers has been on the rise.
Reyes said if there was one key takeaway from the day's sentencing hearing, it's the importance of the sacrifice of first responders.
Sherry Barkas and Shane Newell contributed to this report.
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Police killing aftermath
Desert Sun reporter Christopher Damien covers crime, public safety and the criminal justice system. He can be reached at christopher.damien@desertsun.com or follow him at @chris_a_damien.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/2019/08/30/palm-springs-police-slaying-case-ends-john-hernandez-felixs-sentencing/2158311001/
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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. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.kesq.com/news/man-convicted-of-killing-pspd-officers-to-be-sentenced-friday/1114879335] |
Families confront cop killer sentenced to death for shooting 2: 'I hope you burn in hell'
A California man was sentenced to death Friday for the “planned and calculated” killings of two Palm Springs police officers during a standoff in 2016, according to reports.
John Hernandez Felix fatally shot Officers Jose "Gil" Vega and Lesley Zerebny and injured several others with an AR-15 rifle when they responded to his home on a domestic violence call, authorities have said.
“Mr. Felix, there’s not much I can say that hasn’t already been said," the judge said as Felix sat in silence. "Your calloused actions ruined many lives. I hope that what little was done here today will bring some peace to these families," the Desert Sun reported.
Last spring, a jury found Felix guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and the attempted murder of six other officers. They recommended the death penalty. He was additionally sentenced to 368 years to life for the murders.
"I hope he suffers,"Zerebny's sister, Britta Kling, said in court while asking the judge to uphold the jury’s recommendation, the Desert Sun reported. "You can’t sufficiently sentence him for what he has done."
"You're gonna be sitting in that cage for a long time," Zerebny's father, David Kling, told the killer. "My only message to you is, 'I hope you burn in hell, Felix.'"
Vega was a 35-year veteran who planned to retire within a year and Zerebny was a new mother.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
INTERNET SOURCE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-man-sentenced-to-death-in-fatal-shooting-of-2-police-officers
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The verdict for the murders of Officers Gil Vega and Lesley Zerebny was confirmed today...Death Penalty plus 368 Years. Thank you to all who supported us through this long process. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://twitter.com/PalmSpringsPD/status/1167556336814415872] |
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POLICE OFFICER LESLEY ZEREBNY (END OF WATCH: OCTOBER 8, 2016)