A Los Angeles County jury determined that Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar remained legally sane when he carried out the fatal shooting of a sheriff's deputy in Palmdale in September 2023, according to ABC7 Los Angeles.
The decision came after roughly one and a half days of deliberations and follows Salazar's earlier conviction on first-degree murder charges along with special circumstance findings that included the killing of a peace officer and lying in wait.
Salazar, 32, now returns to court on October 1 for sentencing before Superior Court Judge Ronald S. Coen, where a term of life without parole is expected.
Because Salazar had entered pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity, the trial included a separate sanity phase in which the defense presented testimony from three doctors who concluded he could not distinguish right from wrong due to schizophrenia diagnosed in 2019.
Prosecutors maintained that a mental health diagnosis does not equal legal insanity and pointed to evidence of preparation, including surveillance footage of Salazar at a Lancaster shooting range four days before the attack.
Salazar's sister, Jessica Salazar, described the outcome as sad and unfair outside the courtroom, while noting her brother's documented mental health history and stating that the family had sought treatment rather than freedom.
Sheriff Robert Luna attended the reading of the verdict, and both he and District Attorney Nathan Hochman were scheduled to address reporters afterward.
This report is based on coverage by ABC7 Los Angeles: https://abc7.com/post/kevin-eduardo-cataneo-salazar-was-sane-time-ambush-shooting-deputy-ryan-clinkunbroomer-palmdale-jury-finds/19781426/