Justice for Officer Jeffrey Fontana

Greg Fontana and his mom Sandy after the sentencing.

"This was a hate crime. He hated the police uniform.''

Quote from Sandy Fontana after the sentencing of DeShawn Campbell for murdering her son Jeffrey, a San Jose police officer, in 2001.

I had every intention of attending the sentencing hearing that will bring some minor closure to the family of San José rookie police officer, Jeffrey Fontana, who has been gone for nearly eight years now.

Eight years is not a typo. Jeff was gunned down in the early morning hours of October 28, 2001, following what is believed to be a routine traffic stop.

But my body wasn’t willing this morning, and I knew the courtroom would be packed. According to the San Jose Mercury News, that was the case.

Superior Court Judge Diane Northway went a little bit off of standard operating procedure and allowed SJPD Chief Rob Davis time to address the court. Usually the only people permitted to speak at court are family members, but I feel Chief Davis needed to speak for not only his brothers in law enforcement but also for the citizens of San José, sending a message to the court that it is not acceptable to kill our men in blue (or tan, or whatever colors our law enforcement people are wearing). I applaud the judge for at least giving the chief that satisfaction, though it does not make up for her buying into DeShawn Campbell’s attorney, Edward Souza, who held up this case for years while working to get his client declared mentally retarded, which took the death penalty off of the table. I fear this case will set a dangerous precedent in encouraging the “mildly mentally retarded” defense, thereby taking the death penalty off the table.

Campbell was given the maximum possible sentence, the equivalent of a lifetime and a half behind bars. The now 30-year old convicted cop killer received no credit for the 8 years he’s served thus far (remember he was convicted of a pair of felonies while awaiting this trial; he already received 20 years for that crime), and was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole plus 47 years and 4 months.

Finally, he will leave Santa Clara County, never to return while alive. Despite the felony convictions, Campbell remained incarcerated in the Santa Clara County jail for nearly 8 years, so he could more conveniently work with his attorney on his defense. His family could easily visit him, just off of Hwy 87 in north San Jose. Now it might not be as convenient to just drop by and say hi. Things might get a little more uncomfortable in state prison.

I attended only one day of this trial—work kept me away, though I thought of Sandy Fontana (Officer Fontana’s mother) and his brother Greg, every day. I was glad they were surrounded by Jeff’s brother officers and their network of supporters. They are as fine a group of people as you will ever meet, and even though we are mere acquaintances I consider them heroes and friends.

There are many things that anger me about this trial: the slow justice for the Fontana family, the legal wrangling and posturing that managed to take the death penalty off the table for Campbell, and even some of the character assassination of Jeff Fontana that’s gone on while waiting for this case to come to closure. At least with the death penalty, Campbell would have been on Death Row, mostly isolated, and forced to look at the same walls until the day he takes the one-way walk to the Green Room, or he dies of natural causes (He’d be housed at San Quentin, which is where executions take place—that is, once all of the court brouhaha is resolved about California’s procedures, etc.). With the sentence he received today, he will have the opportunity to see much of the State of California through the windows of a prison bus—he’ll initially go to San Quentin for processing, but then he’ll get to move around from prison facility to prison facility, presumably living among the mainline population, a hero in the eyes of his fellow inmates as he’s now a convicted cop killer.

I have written in this blog’s comments during the Phil Spector trial about how Department of Corrections officers are in place to keep a convicted felon behind bars, and not to administer any “punishment.” I’ve written about how I don’t want Spector harmed in any way while he does his time, and how corrections personnel are obligated to protect him from other inmates who would make him a victim.

I will not say the same for DeShawn Campbell. I am sure he’ll have a rotten attitude in prison and do much to endear himself to the corrections officers (in a negative way, of course). I hope he ends up in Pelican Bay, the supermax of California prisons, utterly devoid of human contact. I hope he somehow comes in contact with an inmate who isn't so tolerant of cop killers. There has got to be a few out in the system, right?

Campbell's family can still traipse around California, visiting him on Saturdays and holidays. They can look at Campbell’s disabled daughter (yes people he reproduced, and the kid is on the dole!) and have her as a memory of him. The Fontanas go to Jeff’s gravesite or to the park that now bears Jeff’s name and likeness in statue form. No children to hug and tell stories to.

Congratulations to Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Lane Liroff. It was a long painful road, but your performed your duties admirably, and never lost sight of the victim and his family—who continued to be victims during justice delayed.

Of course an appeal is planned. Campbell’s attorney and family say the wrong man was convicted. Yeah right.

Now if only Sandy Fontana and Donna Clarkson could join forces in some sort of "justice delayed" non-profit for the families of slow justice. That pair of brave, strong women would be fantastic victims' rights advocates, and formidable opponents to the current "criminals have all the rights" justice system we now have in place.
DeShawn Campbell gets life without parole for killing San Jose cop
Cop killer sentenced to life without parole
Justice for Jeffrey blog

Jury Returns Verdict in San José Cop Killing Trial—Guilty!

Deputy District Attorney Lane Liroff 

San José Police Officer Jeffrey Fontana

The Fontana family has made the trip to Santa Clara County Superior Court Department 38 too many times to count over the past 7 ½ years. After today, they have one more trip to Judge Diane Northway’s courtroom, and justice will be served. That one last trip will be for the sentencing hearing of DeShawn Campbell.

Campbell has been found guilty of murdering San José Police Officer Jeffrey Fontana on October 28, 2001. Campbell faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

Police actually solved this case quickly—and it wasn’t hard to do. Campbell left his father’s tan Hyundai (keys in the car) in the cul-de-sac where he’d gunned down Jeff after (presumably) a routine traffic stop. Residents of the cul-de-sac reported hearing one set of footsteps running from the scene. The car was quickly traced back to Campbell’s father, who tried to tell police that he’d sold the car to a Hispanic woman.

Only problem was that was a lie, and DeShawn’s prints were all over the car.

The gun used to assassinate Jeff was quickly traced to Campbell’s house. The gun was dismantled by one of Campbell's friends.

Campbell was on the run—for less than two weeks.

The long and winding road to justice in this case has had more than its share of roadblocks—attorneys removed because of conflict of interest, psychologist shopping to find someone who would declare Campbell mentally retarded, taking the death penalty off the table. Through all of this, the Fontanas maintained a quiet dignity, sitting on the prosecution side of the courtroom, reminding the court that this was a murder trial, and that one of their own was the one dead.

For an excellent chronicle of the trial, check out Greg Fontana’s blog, Justice for Jeffrey.

Thanks to the jury, who managed to see the truth through all of the defense’s B.S., and peace and blessings to the Fontana family.

Jeff would be proud.

DeShawn Campbell found guilty in shooting death of San Jose police officer

Verdict Reached in DeShawn Campbell Trial

Closing arguments in DeShawn Campbell cop killing case may conclude today

Sandy Fontana on her way into court for the first day of the trial. Her son Greg, wearing a jacket and tie, is the author of the "Justice for Jeffrey" blog.

I am very sorry that I’ve been unable to attend any of the closing arguments in the murder trial of DeShawn Campbell, who is accused of murdering San José police officer Jeffrey Fontana back in October, 2001. When work is available, I have to take it! It’s the hardest thing NOT to stay on that light rail train for just two more stops …

Please check out Greg Fontana’s blog, Justice for Jeffrey, where he has written a summary of each day’s proceedings. According to Greg, the defense attorney should finish today and the case could go to the jury.

Stop by Greg’s blog and offer your support. Pray that the 12 fine residents of Santa Clara County have the good sense to look at the evidence—remember, the evidence puts DeShawn Campbell at the scene of Officer Fontana’s murder—and at the actions of the Campbell family, who were “circling the wagons” within 15 minutes of Officer Fontana’s death. They knew Jeff was dead long before Jeff's family knew.

Murdering a cop in the line of duty is simply not acceptable.

Justice for Jeffrey

Prosecutor tells jurors suspected cop killer's defense is preposterous
Defense to jury: DeShawn Campbell's friend killed San Jose cop

Accused Cop Killer Back on Stand

"He's down, he got shot."

Update!



So we don't lose sight of who has been lost to us—Officer Jeffrey Fontana

In the absence of any pressing work on my part, I attended the trial of DeShawn Campbell here in San José. Campbell is on trial for gunning down Officer Jeffrey Fontana in October 2001. I've wanted to go just to offer support to Jeff's family and to just thank the police for being a visible presence in San José.

Yes, that’s two thousand one. Nearly seven and a half years. The defense attorney, a tall man with the surname of Souza, is a typical defense attorney who has the “delay delay delay” ability down pat. He’s very Chris Plourd-like in his demeanor. (I wrote "need Plourdicil" in my notes). Souza’s the genius who managed to get the death penalty removed from consideration when he found himself an expert witness (at taxpayer cost) to declare his client "mentally retarded."

While you are waiting for me to get it together, please visit Officer Fontana’s brother Greg’s blog, Justice for Jeffrey.

Greg and his mom Sandy deserve to know there are people out there who do care about our men and women on the street, and are outraged by not only the delay in justice, but the deplorable defense tactics.

I’ll have something up later tonight once I decipher my notes and pull myself together.

Update: Thursday, April 2, 2009

I am going to be upfront and state I am firmly on the side of the prosecution in this tragedy.

So if a reader has a problem with my lack of objectivity, please encourage the San José Mercury News or Channel 11 to send a reporter to hear testimony. There has been little media coverage except for the anniversary of Officer Jeffrey Fontana’s murder, and of during opening arguments. Just because my undergrad degree is from a school of journalism doesn’t mean in this capacity I am an objective observer.

If you can live with that, read on.

The Santa Clara County Superior Court building is an eight-stop light rail ride for me. Unfortunately I have zero sense of direction and have no idea which way to walk, and I ask the light rail operator, who’d exited the train’s cab to switch off drivers. She pointed me in the right direction, and I jaywalked across the street to avoid a full-block walk to the first available crosswalk.

The court building is right next to the main county jail. Defendants are brought into court through a tunnel system. The People v. Campbell is being heard in Department 38, Judge Diane Northway. Judge Northway agreed with one of the defense expert-for-hire who declared the defendant, De Shawn Campbell, to be mentally retarded. Campbell has a court-appointed attorney that is NOT a public defender, Edward Souza. Souza has been a master of delay tactics, claiming to be ready to go to trial for quote some time, but maneuvering to have his client declared mentally retarded, which was finally accomplished last year, taking the death penalty (this is a special circumstances case) off the table.

I make the metal detector go off. Twice. I take off my belt the first time and still it goes off. I have no change, and my purse has gone through the x-ray machine. The sheriff asks me to pull my pants up so he can see my ankles. It’s only later in court I remember I have dozens of vascular clamps in my abdomen, a consequence of back surgery in 1992, and two screws in my knees. I’ll know what to say next time. I ask the deputy where the cop killer trial is, and he directs me to the elevator and department 38, sixth floor. I have no idea of the time; court was supposed to start at 1 p.m. and I walk so darn slow, I have to be late.

I’m not late, I get off the elevator and I immediately see Greg Fontana and his mom Sandy. They look exactly like their photos in the Merc. Greg is tall and athletic (well he’s taller than I am) and he’s so easy to talk to. Sandy Fontana is a petite strawberry blonde spitfire who knows the case as well, if not better, than DA Lane Liroff. Both are kind, approachable and immediately likable. I introduced myself and said I’d be blogging for T & T.

Jurors aren’t back from lunch. I let the Fontanas know that there is a delay in Spector so here I am, the blog needs coverage and I’ve been meaning to attend to offer my meaningless support. I have never met this family, but I will tell you something: I know I would have liked Jeff a whole lot!

Coming into a trial is like coming into a movie halfway though, or missing a two-episode television show, but there is no one who sets you up and reminds you where you are. I refer readers to Greg Fontana’s blog (http://justiceforjeffrey.blogspot.com/)

So on the stand is a 40–50-something woman with dirty blonde hair. She’s on cross-examination, and Souza is being gentle with her. She’s an investigator who had interviewed the “real “ killer, Rodney McNary, while he was in Kern Valley State Prison in Delano.

To use a parallel investigator we all understand, this woman, Sally Graver, is of the ilk of Tawni Tyndall. It’s not so much the truth, but what can I get someone to say so I can drag as many people into this as possible.

During a pair of interviews with McNary (who has since been released from prison and is nowhere to be found—and you’ll understand why that’s important), McNary claimed to be running around lost in the Almaden Valley area, in Almaden Creek, after he ditched his black Mustang in a cul-de-sac following an incident with some guys in a gray Cougar. Graver interviewed McNary in 2004 and in 2005, but claims during the 2005 interview, defense attorney Souza took the lead in questioning.

McNary pretty much stuck to his story. The defense investigator never asked McNary if “he did it.”

So how did we get to McNary, the “real” killer? Greg helps me figure this whole mess out. McNary and Campbell left an ecstasy and kegger party (they showed up uninvited) at a cul-de-sac near Rhine and Rotterdam in south San Jose. There is a 1-ish a.m. 911 call (played at the end of the day) from a neighbor to this party who was calling from her home. On the tape you can hear screaming and cars revving. The call claimed there were six cars banging into each other in the cul-de-sac and that she thought she saw someone with a bat. A black Mustang (driven by McNary) bashed into a grey Cougar, and—get this—McNary, who already had two strikes pending against him (he went to jail for strike #2) hit a guy in the cul-de-sac and took off (that would have been strike #3 for McNary, hence he ran. He has not been prosecuted for this, and his whereabouts are currently unknown). The gray Cougar took chase down a main thoroughfare. McNary, being the seasoned felon he was, decided to ditch the Mustang in a cul-de-sac (in the same SJ district but not near the party) to get away from the cops who were no doubt on their way looking for them. The five occupants of the Mustang, including Campell, ran like hell in different directions.

McNary ran the wrong way and got wet and lost in a creek bed. He figured out he was going the wrong way when he noticed a police helicopter flying over the area. This was the helicopter responding to Officer Fontana’s murder.

Campbell called a friend and asked for a ride home to get his dad’s car and gun. He’d been disrespected at the party and was going back to settle the score. Campbell had also been asked to break the ignition on the Mustang so it looked like the car had been stolen, not ditched.

Officer Fontana presumably stopped Campbell and the tan Hyundai because both were grossly out of place in that neighborhood at 4 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Campbell pulled into the cul-de-sac across from the cul-de-sac where the Mustang had been ditched.

Eventually McNary gets himself out of the creek, steals a bike from a school he walks by, and rides toward home. There are cops everywhere, and he stops and asks if someone robbed a bank. McNary is detained by the officers, who ask McNary where he’d been (“gym”) and asked he take a seat on the curb until their sergeant released him. He proceeded on his way home.

Why oh why would McNary even go near the area if he’d been the one to shoot Officer Fontana? This trial is chock full of dummies, but an experienced felon like McNary wouldn’t be that dumb.

Rodney’s girlfriend Janee claimed Rodney “confessed” to her he did it, and she told the defense investigator this for the first time in 2005 (I believe. I defer to Greg’s blog for any missing facts. I’m coming into this late…) Rodney offered no details, the where (Calle Almaden) or the circumstances of killing the cop.

So why didn’t this person, who claimed to be a “good friend” of Campbell and his family, come forward immediately? She was terrified of McNary, of course.

Back in real-time, on the stand is a defense investigator who asked questions but tied up no loose ends whatsoever. She is as forgetful as can be when questioned by DA Liroff, and even short and snippy in her answers. When she is re-crossed by Souza, there is a definite pattern in her “I don't knows” and her answers. She’s asked mostly yes and no questions by Souza. She’s well rehearsed by Souza.

When DA Liroff stands up to re-direct, I can’t help notice how tired he looks. He has gray hair and a quiet demeanor, but not anything requiring Plourdicil.

I look at the make-up of the jury and alternates. Eight women, six men, White, Latino and Asian. They look like San José. There are not many black people living here. One juror is wearing a Jeff Gordon 24 NASCAR red t-shirt. Most are wearing black or blue with the exception of NASCAR guy and a female in a pretty peach sweater set.

Souza repeatedly asks questions that have been objected to by DA Liroff, and the objections are nonchalantly sustained by Judge Northway. A favorite phrase for "objection sustained" when dealing with the defense attorney is “that’s fine, we’re done.”

(She’s no Judge Fidler!)

During a break where the attorneys and judge are reviewing jury questions, Sandy reminds the DA’s investigator about the time line and inconsistencies, little things that the jury might wonder about. She knows the facts of this case as well as the DA, but she has that little something, she knows what the jurors might be wondering about—inconsistencies, misinformation, gaps in time. I have no doubt that Deputy District Attorney Lane Liroff is living this case, but having sandy listen to the proceedings, anticipating the questions of the jury, is in valuable.

Another of today’s witnesses is a criminalist/toxicologist from the Santa Clara County Crime Lab, Ghazaleh Moayer. I have no idea why Liroff has called her. Her CV is discussed and she’s declared an expert witness. Liroff brings up a hypothetical:
What if you have a 190-pound man who, for three to five years, claims to have consumed 30 beers a day, 2 pints of Bacardi rum a day, is a frequent PCP, pot, heroin and meth user, takes prescription drugs including (narcotics) Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycontin; (psychotrophics) Seroquel, Effexor, Neurotonin, Clonopin; and (antidepressant) Paxil—all at the same time? (My question would have been did ONE doctor really write prescriptions for all of these drugs? Perhaps that had already been answered …)

Question: can the body tolerate that quantity of drugs and alcohol for three to five years? Answer: Not likely.

Cross-examination: Have you heard of drug abusers shooting meth or heroin into their eyelid? IF someone used that much meth, would they have auditory and visual hallucinations. Answer: someone taking that much drugs and alcohol probably wouldn't’ be conscious.

I have no idea what this has to do with anything, and during a sidebar, I ask Greg.

The defense attorney was trying to discredit a witness from earlier this week (see Greg’s April 1 entry regarding Ricardo Martinez). Martinez was the neighbor of Campbell Senior, and he heard a loud argument between the two Campbells, Sr. loudly demanding that DeShawn bring his gun back.

Preemptive strike: Ricardo Martinez heard what he heard. (My nurse-y opinion: It’s doubtful he really took the amount of drugs he claimed to take.)

Remember that after Officer Fontana was murdered, DeShawn Campbell left the Hyundai on site, went on the run and hid out with friends, and he retained possession of the gun until turning it over to a friend who dismantled it. He was arrested without incident following a tip, by plainclothes officers wearing raid vests—Campbell followed the arresting officer’s directions, but yelled, “Call the NAACP! Call 911! I don’t know who these guys are!”—after the officers had identified themselves as SJPD.

At the end of the afternoon, Liroff played 911 audio from a 1 a.m. call from a neighbor at the party. Cars crashing and people yelling can be heard in the background. The he played two 911 calls from around 4 a.m. They were the officer down calls.

The first call ended with the caller saying “Oh my God;” the second ended “He’s down, he got shot.”

I saw Sandy wipe her eyes. My eyes welled up with tears. I wiped my eyes on my shirt sleeves. I managed to hold on until the jury had left, and Greg and Sandy were talking to Liroff, who needed to talk to the pair. I did not say goodbye. I managed not to cry until I made it out of the building, to the end of the block, and walked to the light rail station. I pulled my sunglasses out of my purse and hoped no one saw me crying. I cried all the way home.

The final prosecution witness will be on Monday afternoon, then the defense begins their case. I imagine that Campbell will sit at the defense table, dressed in an argyle sweater with close-cropped hair, looking more like an overage college student. My guess is Souza will start some sort of character assassination of Jeff Fontana. Isn’t that what defense attorneys do? Perhaps Souza’s dug up some kid Jeff went to school with, and that person will testify that Jeff failed to feed his dog one evening. Obviously he got what was coming to him.

That's all you can do with an obviously guilty client. In the Mustang, DNA and prints were found of Rodney's. In the Hyundai, prints of De Shawn and not Rodney were present. So it's doubtful that DeShawn and Rodney were together in the Hyundai together at all that evening.

Not once was Jeff’s name mentioned in any of today’s testimony.

While I was scurrying to the light rail, I realized that Jeff and I both graduated from San José State University in May 2000. I was an older student, in my 40s; I remembered that right now, in 2009,  Jeff should be a seasoned officer, perhaps even a detective by now. SJSU is a big place, and of course he was an Administration of Justice major. Schools don’t mingle much at SJSU … I wish I’d known him.

I will try to go back, to show my support for the Fontanas. The media has virtually ignored this crime. Are we so callous that the murder of a cop does not garner proper media coverage?

Justice for Jeffrey

Officer Fontana's brother Greg and his mom Sandy
(below) Officer Jeffrey Fontana Memorial




I wrote about the murder of San José police officer Jeffrey Fontana in February, and the trial of his killer which started last month. Unfortunately for me, real-life work has made it impossible for me to attend this trial, even though the courthouse is a short 10-stop, 15-minute light rail ride away.

However, Officer Fontana’s brother Greg is blogging about this trial. Please check out his blog and offer your support for his family.

Justice for Jeffrey

I don't believe I have ever read about a trial that has so many witnesses who "can't remember" because they've since had blows to the head for whatever reason (motorcycle accidents!) or have killed off brain cells for other reasons (drug and alcohol abuse?). One witness took the Fifth and refused to testify. Some truly upstanding citizens are involved as witnesses in this case!

Our thoughts are with Officer Fontana's family as they are forced to watch a "fine" defense attorney point his fingers at another suspect, claiming his newly-retarded client is innocent of the whole thing! Deputy District Attorney Lane Liroff is doing his very best to make sure the right thing is done for Jeff, his family, those who loved him and of course SJPD!

Justice for Jeffrey: Slain cop’s brother blogs about trial of suspected killer

Is Justice Delayed Justice Denied?

Is Justice Delayed Justice Denied?

San José Police Officer Jeffrey Fontana, 1977–2001

Since Halloween 2001, Tony and Sandy Fontana have “celebrated” by taking part in a vigil to honor and memorialize their son, San José police officer Jeffrey Fontana. The vigil isn’t held only as a united show of grief over the October 28, 2001 murder of the 24-year old rookie cop—it is held to remind the public that Officer Fontana’s murderer, DeShawn Campbell, has thus far escaped justice.

There are several facts in the murder of San José police officer Jeffrey Fontana that are not in dispute. A 4:30 a.m. 911 call brought SJPD officers to a quite cul-de-sac in the Almaden Valley region of San José where they found Officer Fontana dead, a single gunshot through his right eye. He service pistol was snapped in its holster. A Hyundai automobile was nearby, and ownership of that vehicle was quickly traced back to Robert Campbell, Sr. of San José. The set of keys found in the car along with fingerprints belonged to Campbell’s 22-year old son DeShawn.

DeShawn Campbell had used the vehicle to attend a Halloween party the night before. And on that Sunday, the then-22 year old who was the already the proud bearer of two felony warrants was nowhere to be found.

The younger Campbell should not have been whooping it up at all that Halloween. He already had a distinguished history of robbery and assaulting police officers. The only reason he was not in jail for the charges was one of the Santa Clara County’s fine liberal judges who bought the younger Campbell’s plea to allow him to be out on bail to be a good baby daddy and take care of his kid.

Jeffrey Fontana was everything DeShawn Campbell was not. Fontana wanted to be a police officer from the time he was 8 to 10 years of age. To make that dream come true, he attended San José State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2000. He was one of the best and brightest in his class, graduating with a 3.8 grade point average, interning with SJPD’s community policing program, and was the recipient of the Daniel Lomio Memorial Scholarship. Daniel Lomio was a SJSU criminal justice grad, a detective working for the San Francisco police department who was killed in the line of duty.

Fontana was hired by SJPD upon his graduation and is said to have had a way with kids. Outside of the dog park named for Officer Fontana is a bronze statue memorializing his image, arm outstretched to a second figure, a child wearing the officer’s hat.

He had just graduated from his field training two weeks prior to his murder, and was on patrol by himself.

It is not exactly why Campbell was in that neighborhood, on that cul-de-sac, to in the first place. There had been a small epidemic of car break-ins in the tight-knit neighborhood. Was Campbell looking to make a buck by breaking into a car? Campbell had attended a Halloween party the night of October 27, and he’d reportedly gotten his “ass kicked” at the party. He went home to retrieve his father’s gun and to exact revenge. Who was he waiting for?

Nor is it known why Officer Fontana chose to pull up behind the Hyundai, turn his light on, and approach the vehicle. Either the officer’s radio transmission was lost or jammed, or he failed to make one at all.

Campbell and his counsel haven’t been too terribly concerned about a speedy trial regarding Officer Fontana’s murder. Following his arrest for the officer’s murder, the now 27-year old Campbell has been found guilty of four felonies and has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in state prison. In order for Campbell to stay in easier contact with his attorney (not a public defender but paid for by public funds), he’s been given the privilege of thus far doing time in the relatively cushy confines of the Santa Clara County jail, next door to the courthouse.

That private practice attorney, Ed Sousa, the fourth attorney on the case, is orchestrating a defense that makes the prosecution of Phil Spector look like a speedy trial. There have been well over 100 court appearances, three judges, and over 3,000 pages of filings and transcripts. Finally, today, February 23, 2009, the jury trial begins.

Campbell’s first attorney, a public defender, was removed from the case due to conflict of interest when he agreed to act as counsel for Campbell in the wrongful death civil suit the Fontana family will bring against DeShawn Campbell.

Sousa has done an excellent job of further delays, filing motions, some of which are utterly laughable. Sousa unsuccessfully petitioned to have the entire county prosecutor’s office recused from the case because the defense is dissatisfied with the prosecutor, Lane Liroff. He then successfully petitioned for a delay in the case because he (Sousa) broke a finger (since when has having nine working fingers been a handicap to an attorney?).

The most devastating and time-consuming delay has been the fight to have DeShawn Campbell declared mentally retarded.

In a somewhat bizarre twist, both Jeffrey Fontana and Campbell had serious learning disabilities and were in special education classes while growing up. Fontana rose above his disability to attend SJSU and graduate with honors. Campbell used his disability as an excuse to fall behind, ultimately drop out of high school and seek a career as a criminal, collecting arrests for robbery and assaulting cops.

Through all this, Sousa claimed he was ready to go to court immediately—as long as the death penalty was taken off the table. Even though the Bay Area is notoriously liberal, it doesn’t take kindly to cops being murdered on duty.

The question of Campbell’s retardation was answered after a long court battle and a judge reversing her initial decision, which had initially declared Campbell not mentally retarded. This past December, after a contentious battle, Campbell won and became mentally retarded (read DeShawn Campbell ruled mentally retarded for a summary of that ruling).

Witnesses against Campbell have some pretty devastating things to say about him. One witness said shortly before the murder, she and Campbell had been listening to a radio show that discussed the best way to kill someone wearing soft body armor.

Other witnesses claim Campbell panicked and confessed to the shooting. Yet another witness states Campbell gave him the gun, which was destroyed with a blowtorch. All that was left of the gun was a single spring.

Campbell was arrested two weeks after the incident after an intense manhunt. He’d been spending his time hiding and writing farewell letters. Thanks to a CrimeStoppers tip, he was brought in to face the consequences for his actions.

Campbell didn’t feel it was right he faced jail times for his pending felonies.

Today Deputy District Attorney Lane Liroff is making his opening statement to a jury of seven men and five women. This has been his only case, 8+ hours a day, never leaving his consciousness. He is well aware of the gravity of his task.

In Deputy DA Liroff’s office is a framed headstone rubbing from Jeffrey Fontana’s grave, and a letter from a private citizen taped to the wall, castigating the DA’s office for taking so long to get justice for Jeffrey Fontana. The cul-de-sac where he was gunned down in cold blood now bears Officer Fontana’s name.

Justice for Jeffrey - Greg Fontana's blog

Long-delayed cop-killing trial gets under way(This is an excellent article with much background not included in my summary)

After seven years, trial of suspected cop killer begins today in San Jose

SJPD Fallen Officers

One family’s long wait for justice … and still counting

Suspected cop killer in limbo

Police officer, SJSU grad, killed in line of duty; Shot while on traffic stop in South S.J. early Sunday

DeShawn Campbell Trial QUICK LINKS

This page will be periodically updated. Sprocket.

Brief Synopsis
San Jose Police Dept. Officer Jeffrey Fontana was gunned down in the line of duty.  DeShawn Campbell was charged with his murder.

Victim: Jeffrey Fontana, 24

Defendant: DeShawn Campbell, 22

T&T Trial Coverage - CaliGirl9

02/23/09 Is Justice Delayed Justice Denied?
03/22/09 Justice for Jeffrey
04/02/09 "He's down, he got shot."
05/14/09 Closing Arguments in DeShawn Campbell Cop Killing
05/27/09 Jury Returns Verdict in San Jose Cop Killing Trial
08/07/09 Justice for Officer Jeffrey Fontana

Family Memorial/Support Web Site
Justice for Jeffrey - Greg Fonana's Blog

Mainstream Media Coverage
Long-delayed cop-killing trial gets under way (This is an excellent article with much background not included in my summary. CaliGirl9)
After seven years, trial of suspected cop killer begins today in San Jose
SJPD Fallen Officers
One family’s long wait for justice … and still counting
Suspected cop killer in limbo
Police officer, SJSU grad, killed in line of duty; Shot while on traffic stop in South S.J. early Sunday
Justice for Jeffrey: Slain cop’s brother blogs about trial of suspected killer
Is Justice Delayed Justice Denied?
Prosecutor tells jurors suspected cop killer's defense is preposterous
Defense to jury: DeShawn Campbell's friend killed San Jose cop
Accused Cop Killer Back on Stand
DeShawn Campbell found guilty in shooting death of San Jose police officer
Verdict Reached in DeShawn Campbell Trial
DeShawn Campbell gets life without parole for killing San Jose cop
Cop killer sentenced to life without parole