California’s Killer Cops
On the list of cops in California who are convicted felons, 20 former officers are shown as convicted killers.
Recent headlines told us of Joseph DeAngelo — the suspected “Golden State Killer”— charged with a dozen murders and more than 40 rapes, some of which occurred in the 1970s while he was a cop working for the Auburn Police Department near Sacramento. But also listed is Blair Christopher Hall, a former San Bernardino officer convicted of drowning his wife in their backyard hot tub to collect $800,000 in life insurance.
Placer County Sheriff’s Sergeant Paul Koviach Jr. was convicted of killing his wife, who disappeared 26 years ago, and sentenced to 27 years to life.
Los Angeles Police Department Detective Stephanie Lazarus was also convicted for killing an ex-lover’s wife 23 years ago.
Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer Johannes Mehserle claimed he meant to fire his Taser when he shot and killed 22-year-old Oscar Grant, an unarmed African-American who was lying on a station platform. A jury convicted Mehserle of involuntary manslaughter, and he was released from jail after 11 months. Santa Clara County jail deputies Jereh Lubrin, Matt Farris, and Rafael Rodriguez were convicted of second-degree murder for beating a prisoner to death in 2015.
Off-duty Riverside County Sheriff’s Deputy Dayle William Long was drunk and angry when he pulled his gun on a 36-year-old man during an argument inside a bar. The man held his hands up in a position of surrender, but Long shot him four times anyway. And California Highway Patrol Officer Tomiekia Johnson is serving 50 years to life for murdering her husband.
Beware of those who say they serve and protect.
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