A jury convicted Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar this week of murdering Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was shot in the back of the head while stopped in his patrol car at a red light near the department’s Palmdale station in September 2023. Jurors are now deciding whether Salazar was legally sane at the time of the killing.
The Ambush
Clinkunbroomer was alone in his marked patrol vehicle, stopped at a red light near the Palmdale sheriff’s station, when Salazar pulled up alongside him and shot him without warning, according to prosecutors. The killing set off a manhunt before Salazar, a Palmdale resident, was arrested.
The Insanity Defense
Salazar entered a dual plea of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity. His defense attorney, George Rosenstock, has argued Salazar was “incapable of knowing or understanding the nature and quality of his act” or of distinguishing right from wrong at the time of the shooting due to his mental state.
What Happens Next
With the murder conviction secured, jurors are now in the sanity phase of the trial, weighing whether Salazar, now 32, was legally sane when he killed Clinkunbroomer. If jurors find he was sane, he faces a potential life sentence; if found insane, he would be committed to a state mental hospital rather than prison.
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