LOS ANGELES
A 31-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Steven Owen five years ago in Lancaster, according to officials
“Sgt. Owen sacrificed his life to protect the community he served,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “This plea will not bring Sgt. Owen back but will hopefully provide some small measure of peace to his family.”
Trenton Trevon Lovell, 31, entered his plea to one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, person present, and possession of a firearm by a felon; and two counts each of first-degree residential robbery and false imprisonment by violence, officials stated.
He admitted the special circumstance allegation of murder of a peace officer and special allegations of using a firearm to murder Owen, using a patrol car as a deadly and dangerous weapon during the attempted murder of a second peace officer on the scene, using a knife in a robbery and false imprisonment after he fled from the scene of the murder.
Lovell faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17.
The defendant ambushed and shot Owen, 53, multiple times while Owen was responding to a burglary committed by the defendant in the 3200 block West Avenue J-7 on Oct. 5, 2016.
After the murder, Lovell jumped into the sergeant’s patrol vehicle when a second deputy arrived at the scene.
Lovell then rammed the second deputy’s vehicle with Owen’s patrol car.
The defendant fled and ran into a nearby residence where he held two victims at knifepoint and robbed them. He was arrested a short time later.
The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
(October 2016 News Conference)