A parolee who allegedly said he was glad he killed a sheriff’s sergeant outside a Lancaster apartment complex and wished he could have killed other deputies — but later told authorities he was remorseful — was ordered Thursday to stand trial on murder and other charges.
After a three-day hearing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge George G. Lomeli found sufficient evidence to require Trenton Trevon Lovell of Lancaster to proceed to trial in the execution-style killing of Sgt. Steve Owen, 53, who was shot five times on Oct. 5, 2016, outside an apartment complex in the 3200 block of West Avenue J-6.
Lovell is also accused of pointing a weapon at sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Anderson as he responded to the scene, using Owen’s patrol car to ram Anderson’s vehicle and then fleeing to a nearby home, where a 19-year-old woman and her 17-year-old brother were inside, and staying for about an hour before fleeing.
He was arrested after jumping over a wall to a nearby home, according to testimony at the hearing.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office will decide later whether to seek a death sentence for Lovell, who is due back in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom for arraignment Sept. 4.
During the preliminary hearing, sheriff’s Sgt. Guillermo Morales testified that an emergency medical technician told investigators he heard Lovell say he wished his handcuffs were off “so he could kill more deputies.” The EMT also claimed Lovell, who was taken to a hospital for a gunshot wound to his shoulder, said he was “glad he killed the deputy,” Morales said.
The 19-year-old woman and her younger brother who were inside the home Lovell entered also told investigators that Lovell “started to break down and cry” during their ordeal and told them he had “killed a cop,” according to sheriff’s Sgt. Marc Boskovich.
During a videotaped interview later that day, Lovell confessed to fatally shooting Owen after the sergeant told him to “freeze.” A portion of the interview was shown during the court hearing.
Lovell — who described himself as a “two-striker” who was on parole — told investigators that he turned around and opened fire after he saw Owen standing outside his patrol car with his gun drawn, and said he wanted to disable Anderson’s patrol car so he could flee from the scene afterward, sheriff’s Detective Karen Shonka testified.
Under cross-examination, the detective said Lovell told investigators he did not want the sergeant to die.
“He told you he had remorse?” one of Lovell’s attorneys, Monica Thelen, asked.
“Yes,” the detective responded, noting that he cried during points of the interview.
Sheriff’s Deputy John Vanderschaaf testified that three projectiles recovered from the slain sergeant during an autopsy had been fired by a revolver that was found — with all five fired cartridge casings inside — in Owen’s patrol vehicle. He said the muzzle of the gun was near Owen’s face for three of the gunshots. One of the other shots damaged Owen’s sheriff’s badge, he testified.
Owen — a 29-year department veteran who was in his uniform and was well-known for his community involvement — was among those responding to a call of a possible burglary in progress nearby when he broadcasted over the police radio that he had the suspect at gunpoint, authorities have said.
Anderson testified Tuesday that he heard three to four pops that sounded like gunfire before he arrived at the apartment complex.
“I saw Sergeant Owen laying on his back and a male black standing over him,” the deputy testified before identifying Lovell.
The deputy said he yelled at Lovell to “get on the ground” and that Lovell “pointed the gun that he was holding at me.”
Anderson said he immediately opened fire and began shooting at the defendant, who got into Owen’s patrol car, accelerated toward him and rammed into his patrol car. He said he had to move out of the way because he feared that Lovell was “going to attempt to run me over,” and that both vehicles were disabled as a result of the crash.
The deputy said he re-loaded his weapon as Lovell fled through the apartment complex.
Anderson said he lost sight of Lovell when the suspect jumped over a fence, so he returned to try to render aid to Owen after another sheriff’s unit pulled up nearby.
“He was still breathing. He had a pulse,” Anderson said of the sergeant after the shooting.
“Was he responsive at all?” Deputy District Attorney Michael Blake asked.
“No,” said the deputy, who went with the sergeant as he was rushed in an SUV to a hospital.
Another prosecution witness, Joel Avery, testified that he could only see the gunman from the waist down as the suspect stood over Owen and fired the final shots at the sheriff’s sergeant, but he identified Lovell as the man he saw subsequently get into Owens’ patrol car.
He said he initially heard one shot while inside his apartment, then a series of shots seconds later.
“Was he (the sergeant) doing anything at that point to defend himself?” the prosecutor asked Avery.
“No,” responded the witness, who lived nearby at the time. He said he initially posted the aftermath of the shooting on Facebook Live, but subsequently took it down out of respect for the slain sergeant’s family. The cell phone footage, which was played in court on a large screen, shows Owen on the ground and deputies subsequently moving the fallen sergeant from the scene.
The 17-year-old boy who was inside his house with his sister and Lovell for about an hour told investigators that Lovell used a rear door to get into their home and said he had been robbed and injured, but Lovell subsequently confessed to the two about what he had done, according to Boskovich.
The murder count against Lovell includes the special circumstance allegations of murder of a peace officer in the performance of his duties and murder for the purpose of avoiding or preventing a lawful arrest.
Lovell is also charged with one count each of attempted murder, burglary and possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts each of first-degree residential robbery and false imprisonment by violence — the latter of which includes a knife use allegation.
The criminal complaint also alleges that Lovell was on parole at the time of the crime and that he had been convicted of robbery as a juvenile in 2006 and again as an adult in 2009.
The judge dismissed just one of the nine counts against Lovell — possession of a burglary tool.
Owen’s killing prompted an outpouring of support for his family and remembrances of Owen’s unwavering dedication to his job and commitment to the community. Law enforcement officers from as far away as New York and public officials including Gov. Jerry Brown attended his funeral service. A section of State Route 14 in the Antelope Valley was dedicated in his name on the one-year anniversary of his death.
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said at the ceremony last October that the dedication “will serve as a continuous reminder of his selfless act, as well as a lesson to us all that we each have the ability to improve our community — much like Steve did every day.”