State High Court Upholds Death Sentence for Long Beach Cop Killer

LONG BEACH, CA - The state Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence of a gang member who gunned down a Long Beach police officer 15 years ago.

Ramon Sandoval, now 34, was convicted in 2002 for the April 29, 2000, killing of Officer Daryle Black, and the attempted murder of Black’s partner. He was also convicted of assault with an assault weapon on a peace officer and assault with an assault weapon.

Jurors also found true the special circumstances of murder of a police officer in the performance of his duties, murder to avoid arrest, lying in wait and street gang murder.

The state Supreme Court threw out the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, but otherwise affirmed Sandoval’s conviction and death sentence.

At Sandoval’s sentencing hearing in 2003, Superior Court Judge Joan Comparet-Cassani called him a “cold-blooded, heartless killer.”

The judge said Sandoval spotted Black and his partner, Rick Delfin, in an unmarked patrol car and fired 28 rounds from an assault rifle to prevent the two from nabbing one of his fellow gang members, who was armed and on parole.

At the May 2003 sentencing hearing, the judge said Sandoval recognized the unmarked car as a police unit as he and other gang members prepared to attack a member of a rival gang they believed was responsible for an earlier drive-by shooting in which Sandoval was wounded.

“Defendant Sandoval shot at the police officers 28 times, each and every time pulling the trigger. He aimed at their heads,” the judge said, noting that Sandoval was about 15 feet away and could see the officers’ bodies move as they were being shot.

“Even though Officer Delfin managed to slowly drive the car down the street to try to evade the shooter, Sandoval continued to shoot at the police officers,” the judge said. “The trajectory analysis showed that Sandoval followed his targets as they attempted to leave the area of the attack.”

Black died of a massive head wound, and his partner had to undergo numerous surgeries, including a knee replacement.

The gunfire also struck a pregnant woman in a nearby residence, with the bullet lodging inches from her unborn fetus, the judge said.

“If there is a case where death is appropriate, this is one of those cases,” Comparet-Cassani said.

--City News Service, photo via Shutterstock