Trenton Trevon Lovell Pleads Guilty To 2016 Murder Of LASD Sgt. Steven Owen In Lancaster

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A 31-year-old man Thursday pleaded guilty to the 2016 murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Steve Owen in Lancaster, L.A. District Attorney George Gascón said.

Trenton Trevon Lovell, of Lancaster, plead guilty to one count each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary with a person present and possession of a firearm by a felon. He also plead guilty to two counts each of first-degree residential robbery and false imprisonment by violence, the D.A.'s office said.

Lovell also admitted to the special circumstance allegation of murder of a peace officer and special allegations of using a firearm to murder Owen, using a patrol car as a deadly and dangerous weapon during the attempted murder of a second peace officer on scene, using a knife in a robbery and false imprisonment after he fled from the scene of the murder, according to the D.A.'s office.

"Sgt. Owen sacrificed his life to protect the community he served," Gascón said in a release. "This plea will not bring Sgt. Owen back but will hopefully provide some small measure of peace to his family."

According to prosecutors, Lovell ambushed and shot Owen, 53, multiple times Oct. 5, 2016 while Owen was responding to a burglary Lovell had committed in the 3200 block of West Avenue J-7. Following the murder, Lovell jumped into Owen's patrol vehicle.

When a second deputy arrived at the scene, Lovell rammed into that patrol vehicle with Owen's patrol vehicle, prosecutors said. Lovell then fled and ran into a nearby residence where he held two victims at knifepoint and robbed them. He was arrested about 90 minutes later.

Late Thursday evening, Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a tweet that he was standing in solidarity with Owen's family and friends and thanked the D.A.'s office for "their tireless efforts in seeking justice for Steve."

Lovell is scheduled to be sentenced May 17 where he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.