Adrian George Camacho, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder for the June 13, 2003, slaying of Officer Tony Zeppetella.
Along with murder, the jury found two special circumstance allegations true, that Camacho killed a police officer and that he did so to escape arrest.
During a traffic stop, Camacho opened fire, striking Zeppetella multiple times. The officer was able to return fire and struck Camacho in the knee. As the officer was trying to crawl away, witnesses testified that Camacho pistol whipped Zeppetella in the head, then took the lawman's gun and shot him several more times with Zeppetella's own weapon.
Camacho's defense centered on his mental state during the shooting, which he argued was clouded by drug use. In addition to an ongoing heroin addiction, he had also been using methamphetamine and had been prescribed other drugs by a psychiatrist. This caused him to undergo"a period of delirium and psychosis" during the shooting, according to the ruling.
In the letters, he indicated animosity toward police, which the prosecution alleged were evidence of his lack of remorse for killing Zeppetella.
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