The suspect in 2006 gang killing of an Oceanside police officer pleaded guilty to felony manslaughter Friday, prosecutors said.
Jose Compre, 28, was charged in 2016 for the decade-old killing of Officer Dan Bessant.
On December 20, 2006, 25-year-old Bessant was shot and killed on duty while helping another officer conducting a traffic stop at Arthur Avenue and Gold Drive in Oceanside.
New information surfaced in 2016 that led to the arrest of Compre. Over the years, Compre had been one of three suspects tied to Bessant's killing.
Following the deadly shooting of the officer, two teenagers with documented gang ties were arrested for the crime, Meki Gaono and Penifoti Teaotui.
Investigators determined the killing was done for no other reason other than for the gang members to gain respect, however warped, for shooting at police. Gaono and Teaotui were both sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
At the time, Compre was also arrested, but at a preliminary hearing in 2008, charges against him were dropped.
In a plea deal, Compre admitted his gang ties and will serve 25 years in state prison.
“This plea holds another defendant accountable for his role in the heartless murder of Officer Bessant and brings an additional measure of justice for Officer Bessant’s family and friends, the community and his law enforcement colleagues,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said in a statement.
Compre will be sentenced on May 31, 2019.
