2 Mexican Nationals Sentenced For Coast Guard Officer's Death
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A convicted smuggler who rammed his boat into a Coast Guard vessel off the Southern California coast, killing a crewman, has been sentenced to life in federal prison.
Jose Meija-Leyva of Mexico was sentenced Monday for second-degree murder stemming from the 2012 confrontation. Another Mexican man, Manuel Beltran-Higuera, got 10 years on lesser charges.
Leyva rammed his 30-foot panga boat into a Coast Guard craft that was approaching during an anti-smuggling patrol off Santa Cruz Island in Southern California.
Chief Petty Officer Terrell Horne III, a 34-year-old Redondo Beach resident, was thrown into the water and struck by a propeller.
The panga was chased for hours before its engine died near Mexico and the men were captured.
RELATED STORIES:
2 Mexican Nationals Convicted Of Killing Coast Guard Officer
Memorial Ceremony Held For Coast Guard Officer Killed Off Channel Islands
(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
