| |
On
September 29, 2008, Bobby Joe Denney, the man convicted of
killing Cypress Police Department Sergeant Donald J. Sowma
on November 19, 1976, was once again denied parole. A
contingent of Cypress Police Officers and retirees,
dispatchers, the Sowma
family and
friends, along with representatives from the Orange County
District Attorney’s Office, made the trip to Wasco to either
testify during the parole hearing or hold signs in the front
of the prison opposing Denney’s bid for parole. This was
Denney’s sixth attempt at parole and the Sowma families
first time to
see the
killer face-to-face. Denney who has served a majority of
his prison sentence in an Oklahoma prison, transferred back
to the California system in hopes of improving the odds of
being granted a parole release from prison. With all the
media attention on this case, the Sowma family learned that
Denney at the last minute decided not to testify at the
hearing or be represented by an attorney.
Mr.
Denney was given another five (5) years before he will be
considered for parole and remain in custody.
On
November 19, 1976, Cypress Sergeant Sowma was killed in the
line of duty when he responded to a silent burglary alarm at
a local medical office. Sergeant Sowma was shot in the chest
by Bobby Joe Denney as Sergeant Sowma entered the medical
office to search for possible suspects. Denney, realizing
his capture by police was immanent lied in wait for Sergeant
Sowma to enter and shot him in cold blood. After a
five-hour SWAT stand-off and Mr. Denney firing on SWAT
officers, he eventually surrendered. The death of Sergeant
Sowma marked the first and only time a Cypress Police
Officer was killed in the line of duty.
Thank you to all
who supported the efforts to keep this cop killer in prison.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
Cypress police officer Michael Wintersole tries to drum up
traffic on Scofield
Avenue in front of Wasco State Prison during a picket with the
family of slain
Cypress Sgt. Donald J. Sowma, on Monday, Sept. 29, 2008.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't
let a cop killer go free'
Son of slain Cypress police Sgt. Donald J. Sowma, Mike Sowma,
sheds
a tear during the picketing in front of Wasco State Prison,
outside Bakersfield.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
Now-retired Cypress police officer Bob Tinnell was there when
Mike
Sowma's father, Sgt. Donald J. Sowma, was killed. At Sowma's
request,
Tinnell answers questions about the details of that night as the
Cypress
police contingent and friends picket in front of Wasco State
Prison,
outside Bakersfield, with the family of slain Sowma.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
Cypress Police Chief Mark Yokoyama joins the protest with a
police
contingent and friends in front of Wasco State Prison, outside
Bakersfield.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
Retired Cypress police officer Bob Tinnell meets the family,
first Jack
Sowma, left, and his brothers on the picket line in front of
Wasco State
Prison before the parole hearing of the man that killed Cypress
Sgt.
Donald J. Sowma.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
Sergeants Matt Timney, left, and Bob Cote hang a banner in front
of the
Wasco State Prison entrance as part of the Cypress police
contingent
and friends picket.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
The Cypress police contingent and friends picket in front of
Wasco State
Prison, outside Bakersfield, with the family of slain Cypress
Sgt. Donald
J. Sowma.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
The Sowma brothers, sons of slain Cypress police Sgt. Donald J.
Sowma,
Mike, left, Jack, center, and Jim stand outside Wasco State
Prison with
picket signs waiting for the parole hearing of their father's
killer, Monday,
Sept. 29, 2008.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
The signs and banners were printed by Mike Sowma for picket line
in front of
Wasco State Prison before the parole hearing of the man who
killed Cypress
Sgt. Donald J. Sowma.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
The Sowma family has breakfast prepared by Cypress police
chaplain
John LeBelle and his volunteer disaster team ministry, Tru Hope
International,
from Calvary Chapel of Westgrove, Garden Grove. Pictured, from
left,
are: Capt. Mike Idom, Jack Sowma, Lyrea Sowma, Jim Sowma and
Mike
Sowma, near Wasco State Prison.
Cypress police protest: 'Don't let a cop killer go free'
The Cypress police contingent and friends picket in front of
Wasco State
Prison, outside Bakersfield, with the family of slain Cypress
Sgt. Donald
J. Sowma, Monday, Sept. 29, 2008.
|
|
