posted 11-07-2003 18:11               

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20031107-0944-camacho.html

Opppss...left out a "p" in the Officer's name, my apologies!

Gracie

posted 11-07-2003 18:31               

VISTA – The District Attorney's Office will seek the death penalty against a four-time ex-convict accused of gunning down a rookie Oceanside police officer, a prosecutor announced today.

The announcement came at a status conference for Adrian George Camacho, 28, at the Vista Courthouse.

Camacho is accused of shooting at Tony Zeppetella, 27, during a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Navy Federal Credit Union at 4180 Avenida de la Plata on June 13.

The officer died at Palomar Hospital a short time later. Camacho was arrested after a SWAT standoff at the home of his in-laws.

"At this point, the District Attorney has had the opportunity to review all the facts," prosecutor David Rubin told Vista Superior Court Judge Joan Weber during the hearing.

"We've had the opportunity to meet with defense counsel and the Mexican Consulate. We are seeking the death penalty against Adrian Camacho."

Public defender Alex Loebig told the judge that attorneys laid out a case against the death penalty before the D.A.'s office and "were disappointed at the decision."

After the hearing, co-defense counsel Vic Eriksen said they raised a number of mitigating factors, including the defendant being heavily under the influence of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs.

The defense team also presented about 13 examples of other instances around the country when a police officer was fatally shot, and prosecutors did not seek the death penalty, Eriksen said.

The wives and children of both the victim and defendant were also a concern, the attorneys said.

"The process is laborious, slow, tedious in the best of circumstances," Loebig said.

The death penalty would mean the victim's widow and young son would not receive closure, and the defendant's wife and children would remain under the "pressure" of him being on death row, Loebig said.

But Rubin said that "the District Attorney is a very careful and methodical person."

'She took everything into account and made the decision," he said

A trial was set for next August.

*******************************************
TF Editorial commentary:
Only in Kalifornia would Defense attorneys have the unmitigated gall to claim that "being heavily under the influence of heroin, methamphetamine and prescription drugs" constituted "mitigating factors".

Lets all pray that four time loser mulitple felon recidivist scumbag illegal alien career criminal gang member cop murderer Adrian Camacho gets what's coming to him: The Death Penalty.

posted 11-07-2003 23:28               

Gracie- Thanks for posting this. Good to see you pop in, even though the subject matter is lousy. Let us know how school's going. Remember, these are the vermin you'll be prosecuting for us.

posted 11-24-2003 10:20               

Upon review of those documents, you will find that the bullet which penetrated his upper right chest was also a round that had penetrated his vest.
This round shattered the clavicuar head, perforates the right internal jugular vein and common carotid artery, passes posterior to the laryngeal structures and esophagus, then perforates the transverse process and lateral body of the seventh cervical vertabrae.
The direction this bullet traveled is front to back, right to left and upwards.

Upon review of this data on wound #2 as well as the numerous other wounds received, all of the three wound trauma professionals I have interviewed, including the ME who examined the body, agreed that the wound described above and listed as "Wound #2" in the ME's report was the cause of death, and that this wound was not survivable even with prompt medical attention.
Further, they agreed that all of his other wounds were survivable with medical attention.

So, despite the fact that Tony Zeppetella was shot numerous times, he would have survived had his level II Second Chance Ultima vest not failed to stop a rated round.

Note: It is well established that Zeppetella was wearing a Second Chance Zylon Ultima level II vest, approximately seven months old.
The ME's report refers to a "kevlar vest".
This errata is simply a matter of the lack of familiarity with body armor on the part of the ME.

posted 11-25-2003 06:11            

Thanks for the information. The execution of Tony Zeppetella has officially (and tragically) ended the long standing soft body armor industry claim; "No soft body armor has ever failed to stop a round it was designed to defeat".

posted 11-25-2003 08:29               

It is their deceit born out of greed that killed Officer Zeppetella, Camacho was just their trigger man. IMO, they should be held accountable as accomplices to his murder.

posted 11-25-2003 19:47               

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Slain Officer's Wife Sues Vest Companies
Lawsuit Claims Companies Knew Vests Would Deteriorate
POSTED: 5:53 p.m. PST November 25, 2003

SAN DIEGO -- The widow of an Oceanside police officer killed in the line of duty is suing the companies that made and sold her husband's protective vest, 10News reported.

Officer Tony Zepetella was shot and killed last June. Now, his family, attorneys and fellow officers claim the company knew Zepetella's vest was defective.

Zepetella's vest was made by a company called Second Chance. The vest's primary material is called "zylon" made by Toyobo. The lawsuit claimed both companies knew of the deficiencies but did not acknowledge them until last month.

Zepetella was shot at close range and was wearing a protective vest made by Second Chance, a vest made to stop the very kind of bullet, attorneys said, that killed Zepetella. Attorneys allege Second Chance and Toyobo knew about significant deficiencies in the vest as early as five years ago.

Police departments across the nation chose Second Chance vests because they are lightweight and more comfortable than traditional vests. But recent studies released by the manufacturer showed that heat and sweat make the vests deteriorate rapidly, 10News reported.

Attorney's said these companies failed to help Zepetella in his vow to protect and serve. With the lawsuit, Zepetella's young bride vows to protect his fellow officers.

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft is investigating the company, in addition to several other states where officers wore the vests. Zepetella's wife is urging the California's Attorney General's Office to launch an investigation of its own.

According to the company's Web site, Second Chance said it is committed to resolving durability problems with this particular fabric.

posted 01-25-2004 20:08               

gracie

Man to be own lawyer in death-penalty trial

January 24, 2004

VISTA – Despite warning that the defendant could be making a serious mistake, a judge granted an Oceanside man's request yesterday to serve as his own lawyer in his upcoming murder trial.

Adrian Camacho, 28, faces the death penalty in the shooting death of Oceanside Police Officer Tony Zeppetella in June. Camacho's trial is set for Aug. 5.

Superior Court Judge Joan P. Weber found that Camacho was mentally competent to represent himself and excused his two public defenders. Another lawyer will be appointed later to serve as an adviser and a standby attorney, in case Camacho changes his mind.

Weber repeatedly cautioned Camacho yesterday that he was making a "terrible" decision and told him to notify the court immediately if he finds himself in over his head.

"You do understand it is never wise to represent yourself in any case and in the vast majority of cases it's even harmful?" Weber asked the defendant.

Camacho said he understood.

Prosecutor David Rubin told Camacho he will be held to the same rules – and time constraints – that his attorneys would have been. Camacho will have to read and understand volumes of information on jury selection, evidence code and other legal matters just to get up to speed, Rubin said.

"We are not going to delay this trial just so that he can educate himself," Rubin said. "He wants to step in to be a criminal lawyer, he's going to be a criminal lawyer on a complicated case."

By representing himself in his trial, Camacho will be afforded certain privileges while he is housed in the downtown jail, such as access to telephones, computers and books. But the Sheriff's Department could revoke any or all of those privileges if he abuses them, Rubin said.

If that happens, Camacho would still be required to serve as his own lawyer but would not have access to the tools to help him do so.

Additionally, he will not be moved to the Vista jail as previously planned, the judge said. The Vista jail lacks the facilities to house inmates who plan to represent themselves in court. This will require Camacho, who is being held in the downtown San Diego jail, to get up at 4 a.m. every day of the trial so he can be brought to North County.

Outside the courtroom, public defenders Alex Loebig and Vic Eriksen said they also warned Camacho against representing himself but their client would not be persuaded.

"He feels he would be the best advocate on his behalf," Eriksen said.

posted 01-25-2004 21:53               

E-mail out to you!

Grace

posted 01-26-2004 09:40               

Let's all hope that Mr. Camacho gets exactly what he deserves: A State Sanctioned Execution.

Why would Camacho insist on the surely suicidal route of acting in his own defense in a capital murder trial?
Camacho has also been named along with Second Chance as a defendant in the wrongful death civil suit. Perhaps he feels that he would rather die than sully his name by association with such notorious criminals...

posted 01-28-2004 20:35            

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