Third Defendant Pleads Guilty In Oceanside Officer's Death

OCEANSIDE, CA – A man who was 16 years old when he took part in a shooting that killed an Oceanside police officer nearly 12 years ago pleaded guilty Friday to voluntary manslaughter and agreed to a sentence of 25 years in state prison.

Jose Domingo Compre, now 28, also admitted a gang allegation and admitted firing a weapon during the Dec. 20, 2006, attack on Officer Dan Bessant.

Compre was initially jailed hours after Bessant's murder, but a judge 15 months later dismissed all charges against him, citing insufficient evidence.

In October 2016, prosecutors refiled the case against Compre, citing new evidence.

Two co-defendants -- 17-year-old Meki Gaono and 16-year-old Penifoti Taeotui -- were convicted of murder at separate trials and were each sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Compre is scheduled to be sentenced next May 31.

"This plea holds another defendant accountable for his role in the heartless murder of Officer Bessant and brings an additional measure of justice for Officer Bessant's family and friends, the community and his law enforcement colleagues," said District Attorney Summer Stephan.

Bessant, who had been with the Oceanside Police Department for three years, was assisting a fellow officer with an early evening traffic stop when Gaono shot him from 385 feet away with a scope-equipped rifle while hiding behind a brick mailbox in front of Compre's home.

In a court filing, a prosecutor stated that the defendants targeted Bessant because he was serving as a neighborhood-policing officer in charge of instituting tougher enforcement in an area rife with gang violence.

By City News Service / Image via Shutterstock