Cop's death ruled murder
Lincoln man faces 15 years to life in drunken hit-and-run
Eric Kenneth Dungan faces a state prison sentence of 15 years to life after being found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in the hit-and-run traffic death of Rocklin Police Officer Matthew Redding.
A Placer Superior Court jury took just one day to convict the 26-year-old Lincoln man of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The verdict brought tears and satisfaction to John and Marilyn Redding, parents of the victim.
"We were just shaking before the verdict, and when they read it, it was just this feeling of relief," said Marilyn Redding. "I feel that a big weight has been lifted off our shoulders."
A key element to bringing a second-degree murder charge in a traffic case is proving that a person showed "a wanton disregard for human life."
Prosecutors tried to establish Dungan's "implied malice" in spending a night drinking, ignoring three warnings by a cabdriver not to drive, text-messaging on his cell phone as his truck approached Redding on Highway 65 and fleeing the scene after hitting the officer.
In addition, they stressed that Dungan served at Beale Air Force Base and attended weekly sessions at which personnel were warned about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Those sessions should have given Dungan a heightened awareness about driving drunk, lead prosecutor Daniel Gong said in closing arguments Monday.
Dungan's attorney, Michael Bowman of Sacramento, tried to convince the jury his client's actions did not merit a murder charge. He acknowledged Dungan made poor decisions to drive and be inattentive but said his client never meant to injure or kill anyone.
On Friday, Dungan took the stand and told the jury that it was his fault that Redding was dead.
"I'm totally responsible," he said under questioning from Bowman.
Moments later, answering a question from Gong, Dungan said "I should not have driven that night."
Marilyn Redding said Dungan's decision to take the witness stand may have hurt his case.
"It allowed the jury to see what kind of person he is and that he was lying," she said.
While on the stand, Dungan said he lied to a California Highway Patrol investigator immediately after the accident about having seen Redding's face just before his truck hit the officer.
He said Friday that he didn't see Redding. He said he didn't know what he'd struck -- "if it was a dog or a sign or something. I just didn't know."
Asked why he'd lied to the CHP investigator, Dungan said it was because he was scared.
"I'd never been in a situation like that," he said.
Redding, 29, was killed as he was diverting traffic at 4 a.m. from the fast lane of Highway 65 near the Stanford Ranch Road exit. He was assisting with traffic because other law-enforcement officers had made a traffic stop of several suspects considered to be dangerous.
Redding set up traffic cones, waved a flashlight to oncoming vehicles and was standing outside his patrol vehicle, which had its emergency lights flashing, prosecutors said.
A forensics expert testified that Dungan's blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent or 0.18 percent when he came upon Redding.
Under California law, a person is considered legally intoxicated at 0.08 percent.
Prosecutors Gong and Joe Hoffmann called nearly 40 witnesses during the trial, which ran four weeks.
Placer Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis scheduled sentencing for April 26.
Hoffmann said Dungan must serve at least 15 years of his murder sentence.
"He will not be getting off early for any good behavior," he said.
Hoffmann said the manslaughter charge carries a sentence of four to 10 years in state prison. An enhancement for fleeing the scene would add another five years, he said.
However, Hoffmann said the manslaughter term is expected to run concurrently with the murder sentence, meaning Dungan would serve no extra time beyond the 15-years-to-life term.
Hoffmann said he hopes the verdict may bring some closure to Redding's family and friends.
He said the verdict serves as notice to Dungan of how he has "permanently scarred" the lives of the officer's family and friends.
Marilyn Redding said she feels "justice has been served."
But, she said, "John and I think of Matthew all the time. Our lives will never be the same."
Last year, on off duty officer, whose blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit, killed an EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY when he ran the child over as he crossed the street, and NEVER stopped. He drove to his home where they arrested him.
He was found guilty of wreckless driving, and got sentenced to FIVE FUCKIN' YEARS. NO MURDER charge, NO hit and run, NOT EVEN a FUCKIN" DUI!!
WTF is that shit?? This pretty much tells us that our lives dont matter to the system as much as the lives of the officers.....even when the officers are the ones commiting the crimes.
Dont get me wrong, I think BOTH are equally as tragic. My problem is with the TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT sentences for two similar crimes.
Discuss....
Lincoln man faces 15 years to life in drunken hit-and-run
Eric Kenneth Dungan faces a state prison sentence of 15 years to life after being found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder in the hit-and-run traffic death of Rocklin Police Officer Matthew Redding.
A Placer Superior Court jury took just one day to convict the 26-year-old Lincoln man of murder and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.
The verdict brought tears and satisfaction to John and Marilyn Redding, parents of the victim.
"We were just shaking before the verdict, and when they read it, it was just this feeling of relief," said Marilyn Redding. "I feel that a big weight has been lifted off our shoulders."
A key element to bringing a second-degree murder charge in a traffic case is proving that a person showed "a wanton disregard for human life."
Prosecutors tried to establish Dungan's "implied malice" in spending a night drinking, ignoring three warnings by a cabdriver not to drive, text-messaging on his cell phone as his truck approached Redding on Highway 65 and fleeing the scene after hitting the officer.
In addition, they stressed that Dungan served at Beale Air Force Base and attended weekly sessions at which personnel were warned about the dangers of drinking and driving.
Those sessions should have given Dungan a heightened awareness about driving drunk, lead prosecutor Daniel Gong said in closing arguments Monday.
Dungan's attorney, Michael Bowman of Sacramento, tried to convince the jury his client's actions did not merit a murder charge. He acknowledged Dungan made poor decisions to drive and be inattentive but said his client never meant to injure or kill anyone.
On Friday, Dungan took the stand and told the jury that it was his fault that Redding was dead.
"I'm totally responsible," he said under questioning from Bowman.
Moments later, answering a question from Gong, Dungan said "I should not have driven that night."
Marilyn Redding said Dungan's decision to take the witness stand may have hurt his case.
"It allowed the jury to see what kind of person he is and that he was lying," she said.
While on the stand, Dungan said he lied to a California Highway Patrol investigator immediately after the accident about having seen Redding's face just before his truck hit the officer.
He said Friday that he didn't see Redding. He said he didn't know what he'd struck -- "if it was a dog or a sign or something. I just didn't know."
Asked why he'd lied to the CHP investigator, Dungan said it was because he was scared.
"I'd never been in a situation like that," he said.
Redding, 29, was killed as he was diverting traffic at 4 a.m. from the fast lane of Highway 65 near the Stanford Ranch Road exit. He was assisting with traffic because other law-enforcement officers had made a traffic stop of several suspects considered to be dangerous.
Redding set up traffic cones, waved a flashlight to oncoming vehicles and was standing outside his patrol vehicle, which had its emergency lights flashing, prosecutors said.
A forensics expert testified that Dungan's blood-alcohol level was 0.17 percent or 0.18 percent when he came upon Redding.
Under California law, a person is considered legally intoxicated at 0.08 percent.
Prosecutors Gong and Joe Hoffmann called nearly 40 witnesses during the trial, which ran four weeks.
Placer Superior Court Judge Larry D. Gaddis scheduled sentencing for April 26.
Hoffmann said Dungan must serve at least 15 years of his murder sentence.
"He will not be getting off early for any good behavior," he said.
Hoffmann said the manslaughter charge carries a sentence of four to 10 years in state prison. An enhancement for fleeing the scene would add another five years, he said.
However, Hoffmann said the manslaughter term is expected to run concurrently with the murder sentence, meaning Dungan would serve no extra time beyond the 15-years-to-life term.
Hoffmann said he hopes the verdict may bring some closure to Redding's family and friends.
He said the verdict serves as notice to Dungan of how he has "permanently scarred" the lives of the officer's family and friends.
Marilyn Redding said she feels "justice has been served."
But, she said, "John and I think of Matthew all the time. Our lives will never be the same."
Last year, on off duty officer, whose blood alcohol level was over twice the legal limit, killed an EIGHT YEAR OLD BOY when he ran the child over as he crossed the street, and NEVER stopped. He drove to his home where they arrested him.
He was found guilty of wreckless driving, and got sentenced to FIVE FUCKIN' YEARS. NO MURDER charge, NO hit and run, NOT EVEN a FUCKIN" DUI!!
WTF is that shit?? This pretty much tells us that our lives dont matter to the system as much as the lives of the officers.....even when the officers are the ones commiting the crimes.
Dont get me wrong, I think BOTH are equally as tragic. My problem is with the TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT sentences for two similar crimes.
Discuss....
