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Killer Of LAX Police Officer Loses Appeal

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California appeals court has upheld the murder conviction of a mentally ill man who killed a police officer at Los Angeles International Airport in 2005.

City News Service reports Wednesday that the panel rejected the defense argument that William Sadowski got an unfair trial.

The former aerospace worker has bipolar disorder but a jury found he was legally sane when he stole Officer Tommy Scott's patrol car after the officer stopped him near the airport.

Scott clung to the car door for a quarter-mile and was decapitated when the car struck a fire hydrant.

Sadowski told investigators he'd only planned to crash and kill himself.

He was convicted of first-degree murder and carjacking and is serving a life sentence without a chance of parole.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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