When He Found His Sister Murdered This Officer Was His First Call

LAGUNA HILLS, CA —In September, Sergio, a Laguna Hills high school junior, returned home to find his sister brutally murdered in their Laguna Hills home. When the sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, Sergio put his fist through a window, gashing his arm. He was overcome with grief and there was only one person that the distraught boy wanted them to call: His Laguna Hills high school student resource officer.

Back at Laguna Hills High School, news of a shooting had reached Orange County Sheriff's Department Deputy Anthony Sambrano. He thought the school would need to be locked down, but when a deputy from the murder scene called and asked him to come to Sergio's aid, Sambrano didn't hesitate.

Sambrano first entered Sergio's life last fall when a boy he knew as a respectful, smart student started hanging out with a troublemaker. He stepped in to offer advice to a teenager following a wanna-be gang member down a bad road.

“I reached out to him and said, ‘Dude, you don’t need to be hanging out with this kid. You don’t commit these acts, he does. But some of the school staff members find you guilty by association. You can do a lot better,'" Sambrano told Behind The Badge OC of their initial encounter. "'Pick friends who are going to be good for you.’”

A mentor-relationship developed, and the problem student soon left the school. Sergio would come and talk about his dreams of becoming a chef, high school stress, anxiety, anger management and his working-class family. Sambrano also learned about Sergio's sister, Yahaira Ocegueda Boykins. A mother of three, she loved her family and worked full-time as a dental assistant.

When Sambrano arrived at the home, Sergio was in the back of a patrol car. His arm was bandaged after punching through the apartment window. After witnessing the traumatic scene, all Sergio could say was, "Deputy, my sister, deputy, my sister," Sambrano said.

"I think of these students outside of work, I think of them as my friends, my kids," Sambrano told Behind The Badge OC. "That was the first thing I thought about when I saw him in the backseat."

Sambrano stayed with the boy in the back of that patrol car and waited until investigators were ready to interview Sergio. He remained present throughout the interview, then followed Sergio to Saddleback Memorial Hospital, where the boy had his wound stitched.

Sambrano also attended the funeral of Ocegueda Boykins' funeral, a constant supporter of Sergio and his family, in Laguna Hills and remains as a mentor to Sergio beyond that horrific day. He reminds him to fulfill his dreams of being a chef, to be a positive role model to his nephews and to stay in school.

Coming to Sergio's aid was Sambrano's first experience at helping a student cope with such a horrific loss. As a school resource officer, he knows, the main job is to keep the kids safe.

"We also know that building relationships with the students is paramount," Sambrano said. "Because when there is a crisis, those kids trust you and come to you, and that's what I'm here for."

Read: Laguna Hills Murder: Marine Husband Arrested

Jerel Boykins was arrested and charged with the murder of Ocegueda Boykins. He is being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail and will return to court Dec. 8. If convicted, he faces 50 years-to-life in prison.

Read more: behindthebadgeoc.com

Photo, by Steven Georges; courtesy Behind The Badge OC