Juan Leonardo Quintero says he knows many people doubt his remorse.
BILLY SMITH II: CHRONICLE FILE



May 21, 2008, 10:43PM
Quintero didn't expect to be spared after slaying
He expresses regret for killing, concern about his own safety


By ROSANNA RUIZ and BRIAN ROGERS
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

TOOLS
Email Get section feed
Print Recommend
Comments (45) Yahoo! Buzz

RESOURCES

Officer's wife reacts to verdict, houston,quintero,texas,chron.com,local news,rodney johnson,houston chronicle, Joslyn Johnson reacts to a jury's decision that Juan Leonardo Quintero should spend the rest of his life in prison rather than go to death row for murdering her husband in 2006. Video by Meg Loucks. Pool footage by KTRK. May 20, 2008. Quintero sentenced to life in prison, quintero,local news,texas,rodney johnson,houston,hpd,houston chronicle,chron.com, Jurors sentenced Juan Leonardo Quintero to life in prison for the murder of Officer Rodney Johnson. Johnson's sister, Susan, gave a victim's statement. Pool footage provided by KTRK. May 20, 2008.HPD funeral, local-news,hpd,houston chronicle,rodney johnson, Friends and family gathered to mourn the death of HPD officer Rodney Johnson.Opening arguments in Quintero trial, houston,texas,houston chronicle,chron.com, The death-penalty trial of Juan Leonardo Quintero opened this morning. Quintero is on trial for killing a Houston police officer in 2006. Pool video footage courtesy of KTRK TV 13. Quintero's confession, houston chronicle,texas,chron.com,houston, Jurors in the death-penalty trial of Juan Leonardo Quintero watched a videotape this morning in which he acknowledged shooting Houston police Officer Rodney Johnson. Video courtesy of KHOU-TV
From shooting to sentencing — images from the case
Punishment baffles many: Was it just good lawyering? Almost two years ago, Juan Leonardo Quintero predicted in a jail house interview that he would be sent to the death chamber for shooting Houston police officer Rodney Johnson.

"I was wrong," he said Wednesday from a Harris County jail a day after he was sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.

It was a verdict that outraged Johnson's family and local law enforcement but served as a victory for death penalty opponents in a county that has sent more people to Texas' death row than any other.

The verdict also reignited debate about illegal immigration, as Quintero had been deported before he sneaked back into the United States.

Quintero, dressed in a yellow jumpsuit Wednesday, smiled as he responded to questions about the verdict. But his demeanor changed when asked whether he was happy about the jury's decision to spare his life.

"It's not anything to be happy about," he said somberly.

The 34-year-old former landscaper said he knew the sentence came as a surprise to many people, including Johnson's family. Quintero said he wanted to share his thoughts with Johnson's wife, Joslyn, but in a private manner.

Joslyn Johnson could not be reached for comment.

Quintero expressed regret, as he did at the end of his trial, although he said he was sure many doubt his sincerity.

"No matter what I say, people are going to think what they want," he said. "Nothing I can say, nothing I can do, will fix what I've done. I'm sorry for everything, though."

Quintero also expressed concern for his own safety and whether he would even make it to a state prison.

"How am I going to be OK with a lot of cops around?" he asked.

During the trial, prosecutors pointed to the stoic confession he gave to a Houston investigator after the shooting as evidence that he was a remorseless killer. Quintero said the interview occurred a couple hours after the shooting, and that he was afraid.

"I thought I was going to get executed right there," he said.

He still could not explain the shooting, other than to say that fear led him to kill Johnson. He paused several moments before answering a question about how he would live with Johnson's murder.

"I feel bad about it," Quintero said. "It's going to keep going on the rest of my life."


Defense team praised
His life sentence continued to be a topic of discussion around the Harris County Criminal Courthouse Wednesday and won praise for Quintero's defense team from some local lawyers.

"The defense attorneys did a great job," said legendary defense lawyer Richard "Racehorse" Haynes, who has practiced in Houston for 52 years.

Haynes, a death penalty opponent, said his sympathies went out to Johnson's family, but that the verdict was justice. He credited Quintero's attorney, Danalynn Recer.

"I'm going to write her a little note of congratulations," Haynes said.

Recer was not available for comment Wednesday.

John Jordan, one of the prosecutors in the case, said he respected the jury's verdict, but said it doesn't represent the will of the people.

"I hope the fact that the community seems to disagree with the decision gives some comfort to the police officers who put their lives on the line for us every day."

Speaking about Johnson's family and fellow officers, Jordan said he was disappointed.

"I wish we could have brought them justice."


Not unprecedented

While the verdict may have been shocking to some, it was not the first time a person was convicted of capital murder of a peace officer has avoided the death penalty in Harris County.

Since 1990, at least nine men have been sentenced to death in police officer slayings. At least four others have been sentenced to life in prison, although the law has continued to change regarding the minimum amount of time they have to spend behind bars.

•In 1992, Keith Burl Turner was sentenced to life in prison — at least 35 years — for shooting off-duty Harris County sheriff's deputy Jeffrey Scott Sanford as he tried to stop a convenience store robbery.
•Jurors in 1994 spared the life of Edward John Benavides, who was convicted in the shooting death of Pasadena police officer Les Early during a November 1993 drug raid. He will be eligible for parole in 2024.
•Man Nhu Truong got life in prison instead of the death penalty for shooting Randy Eng, an off-duty sheriff's deputy working an extra job at a wedding reception in 1998.
•In 2002, Alex Adams escaped the death chamber for the murder of HPD officer Albert Vasquez when a mistrial was declared, resulting in an automatic life sentence.
Truong and Adams must serve a minimum of 40 years before becoming eligible for parole.

Until 2005, punishment for a capital murder charge was death by lethal injection or life with a possibility of parole. The Texas Legislature voted in 2005 to take away the possibility of parole for convicted capital murderers.


DA hopefuls' views

Quintero's verdict brought mixed reactions from Harris County district attorney candidates.

C.O. Bradford, a Democrat, disagreed with the jury's decision against putting Quintero to death. His opponent, Republican Pat Lykos, said it was improper for her to go that far, but said she understood the Johnson family's disappointment with the life-without-parole sentence.

Bradford, the former Houston police chief, said the case was tailor-made for the Texas death penalty law because of Quintero's criminal record and the way he killed Johnson.

"If (the death penalty) is going to be utilized in Texas, I can't think of a more appropriate case," Bradford said.

Lykos, a former judge and former police officer, said she could not comment directly on the verdict because she remains eligible to serve as a substitute judge in other cases.

But, she added, "I certainly sympathize with the police officer's family and fully understand their reaction."

Chronicle reporter Alan Bernstein contributed to this report.

rosanna.ruiz@chron.com brian.rogers@chron.com






http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5795557.html