(KERO) — A California judge has sentenced a former Air Force sergeant to life in prison without on parole Friday.
The sergeant, Steven Carrillo, admitted to killing Santa Cruz County Sheriff Sergeant Damon Gutzwiller and wounding several other officers in June 2020.
Carrillo first ambushed the officers, who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials.
In court Carillo pleaded guilty to nine counts, including murder and attempted murder. He also accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
Court documents show, Carrillo's attorney tried to explain his actions saying mental health issues and his following of online extremist groups on Facebook influenced his terrorist beliefs.
Carrillo was also sentenced to 41 years in federal prison for killing a security guard in Oakland a week before killing Gutzwiller.
