Sacramento card room killer sentenced to life in prison for killing security guard
The man behind a robbery and fatal shooting of a heroic security guard at the Capitol Casino in Sacramento, Calif., has been sentenced to life in prison.
Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Michael Bowman sentenced 38-year-old Dawan Pecot on Friday. He is not eligible for parole.
In November, a jury convicted Pequot of first-degree murder and second-degree robbery following a criminal trial in the Aug. 22, 2022, slaying. Security guard Sean Bernal, 27, arrested Pecot at the poker room after he attempted to rob it. Bernal pulled out his Taser and ordered Pequot to leave the building.
Outside, Pequot displayed a gun and then returned to the casino and walked toward the cash register. He pointed a gun at casino workers and demanded money. But Bernal returned to the building and approached Pequot. He again drew his Taser and attempted to attack Pequot. Pequot shot Bernal in the neck. One shot killed Bernal. He gave Pequot $38,000 before leaving the casino. A card room employee followed him to a nearby vehicle.
When police arrived at the casino, Pequot got out and shot the casino employee. Pequot then tried to run away, but was stopped by police and arrested.
He initially claimed he was short of breath, so police took him to a local hospital, CBS News reported. After being examined by a doctor, he was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. ## Security Guards Considered Heroes##
After the shooting, Bernal's mother, Susan Bernal, told Sacramento television station KTXL that her son loved his job and said he pursued the robbers to protect the public.
"If he had known that he had done nothing and other people had been killed, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself and go home that night or that day," Susan Bernal said in an interview.
Bernal also leaves behind a daughter who was one year old at the time of his murder.
Previous Shootings
In 2021, Renee Walker was shot and killed outside a playground. She died three days after the incident. Arviel Robertson, 36, was charged in Walker's death. The murder case is pending in California courts.
In 2016, casino employee Nicholas Broadway was shot and killed outside the Capitol Casino. Broadway was caught in a shootout between an off-duty Sacramento police officer and Luis Alfonso Castillo. Castillo was arrested and later sentenced to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder.
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Source: www.casino.org
