Over the span of several hours Thursday, more than a dozen people gave tearful recounts of their memories of Vancouver police Officer Donald Sahota.
The statements from family members, friends and colleagues came before a Clark County Superior Court judge sentenced Julio Segura, 23, of Yakima to 29 years in prison for Sahota’s slaying.
Some in the courtroom’s packed gallery wore Vancouver police uniforms while others donned shirts depicting Sahota’s police badge and the phrase “Heroes live forever.”
Last month, a Clark County Superior Court jury convicted Segura of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude law enforcement officers while acquitting him of attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and first-degree burglary. With the murder convictions, the jury also found the aggravating factor that Segura was armed with a deadly weapon.
The jury deliberated for eight hours after three weeks of trial.
Segura stabbed Sahota as the two struggled in Sahota’s Battle Ground driveway on the night of Jan. 29, 2022. Law enforcement from multiple agencies had chased Segura to the area in connection with an armed robbery at an Orchards gas station.
Moments later, Clark County sheriff’s Deputy Jonathan Feller arrived and mistakenly shot Sahota.
During Thursday’s hearing, Sahota’s wife, Dawnese Sahota, told Judge Nancy Retsinas of her husband’s resilience and work ethic to provide for his family. She said her 33 years with him were not enough.
“These past 2½ years have been excruciating,” she said. “This tragedy that is now my reality has left me brokenhearted. Shattered.”
She said she holds Segura 100 percent responsible for her husband’s death by creating the confusion that led to his shooting.
Vancouver Police Chief Jeff Mori told the judge of Sahota’s compassion as a trainer for the agency and the way he always taught officers to treat the people they encounter as they, too, would want to be treated.
“I can tell you on Jan. 29, (2022) everyone’s heart was ripped out,” Mori said. “This community was in mourning for Don’s death.”
He asked Retsinas to sentence Segura to the maximum allowed. He also said he hopes Segura thinks of Sahota before he falls asleep each night and when he wakes up each morning.
Sahota’s mother, Darlene Baun, shared memories of her son’s childhood and their struggle with abuse and homelessness when he was a boy.
“I’m so proud of my son. He went through so much, and he always tried to do good,” she said. “He loved helping people.”
Sahota’s daughter, Kylie DaCunha, told the judge that her daughter will never know her grandfather. She said she hasn’t felt safe since her father’s slaying at her childhood home.
“It seems that time froze two years ago,” she said. “I don’t feel I’ve been truly present since that point.”
Following hours of the tearful statements, Prosecutor Tony Golik asked the judge to sentence Segura at the top of his sentencing range. He called Segura’s actions “dangerous, violent and self-centered.”
“I know, Your Honor, that there is nothing that I can say that will have nearly the impact on the court as the thoughtful and passionate statements from those who loved Don so much,” Golik said.
Segura brought a written statement to the hearing, but when it was his chance to speak, he disregarded his note in favor of briefly apologizing to the Sahota family.
“I understand there’s nothing I can say to alleviate all that pain that I caused. There’s nothing I can say, except that from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry,” Segura said.
Segura’s defense team submitted roughly 1,200 pages of records detailing Segura’s tumultuous upbringing with multiple stints in foster care and numerous counseling sessions. They asked the judge to consider them reason to grant Segura a lower sentence.
While Retsinas called the file heartbreaking, she said Segura was acting only in his own self-interest. She said he made so many wrong choices leading up to Sahota’s slaying.
After ordering the sentence near the middle of Segura’s range, the judge turned to him and said, “Julio, make value of your time. Make value of your life.”
