Former MB Police Officer's Appeal Denied

An appeal by a former Manhattan Beach police sergeant who left the force in 2003, according to the Daily Breeze, has been denied by a Louisiana appellate court that affirmed a jury's decision to convict Shawn Michael Shelton of manslaughter in the 2005 drugging and killing of a 19-year-old man.

The most recent dated entry [Dec. 1, 2005] for Shelton on the city of Manhattan Beach's Web site shows Shelton listed on a "warrant register" for a check in the amount of $3,718.03 as an advance disability payment.

The same amount of pay via check is listed on a warrant register dated Oct. 6, 2005, for an advance disability payment.

In addition to the manslaughter conviction, Shelton was found guilty in 2007 of first-degree kidnapping, sexual assault with a minor under 16 years old, battery with intent to commit sexual assault with a minor under 16 years old, and use of a minor in pornography in an attack on a 14-year-old Las Vegas boy in 2006.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Shelton joined MBPD in 1994 after four years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and climbed the ranks quickly, making detective after two years and sergeant after four, the fastest promotion to sergeant ever in the department at the time.

Shelton's law enforcement career took a turn when he retired from the force in 2003, claiming he was permanently disabled by stress and high blood pressure, according to the Review-Journal. In 2001, he had filed an internal complaint about fellow officers making homosexual slurs. He filed a discrimination lawsuit against the department when it didn't react to his complaint in a manner to his liking.

In the article, the Review-Journal reported that court documents related to the lawsuit said Shelton had visited a psychiatrist in 1999, telling her that he was suffering from anxiety and depression and felt anxious and tense most of the time. According to the documents, he told her he had been diagnosed HIV-positive but couldn't tell anyone at work.

According to a 2007 Daily Breeze article, the then 15-year-old victim addressed the judge during the sentencing proceeding. He described how he no longer trusted anyone, including police officers, saying he shies away when he sees anyone of authority.

"I go out and skate. I can't skate normally because I am worried that he might do something," the boy told the court. "I can't be like a normal kid." 

Shelton committed his crimes when he was driving a black Hummer and pulled up to the boy at a bus bench, displayed a police badge and said he was investigating a homicide. He then handcuffed the boy, drove him into the desert, and forced him to perform oral sex in the back seat. He told the boy he had a gun and would kill him if he told anyone.

Despite being an experienced investigator, Shelton left behind DNA evidence that resulted in his conviction.

Shelton's manslaughter conviction stems from the killing of Justin James.

In the Louisiana case, appellate court Judge Sylvia Cooks wrote, "The record reveals substantial evidence from which the jury could reasonably conclude that James was the victim of at least an attempted rape or sexual assault and that his death occurred during the attempted perpetration of such crimes while he was rendered incapable of resisting due to a drug-induced state instituted by Shelton. There is sufficient evidence to support the verdict of manslaughter."