(Phoenix, Arizona) – A Maricopa County judge has sentenced Daniel Davitt (05/1960) to 33-years in prison for the murder of Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Detention Officer Gene Lee.
In an attack caught on video, Davitt grabbed Officer Lee by the throat and swept his legs from under him causing the officer to strike his head on the floor of the county jail. The injury was severe and Officer Lee succumbed to his injury less than a day later.
Davitt was already in custody, serving time for having molested his step-grandchildren.
During sentencing today, friends and family members of Officer Lee passionately recounted the painful changes their lives have suffered as a result of their loss.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said, “Officer Gene Lee was a public servant who devoted his life to protecting our community. It is a travesty for his life to have ended in this way, and I can only imagine the depths of the sorrow his family is experiencing. I am grateful to the judge for imposing a lengthy sentence, and am grateful to the people in my office who worked relentlessly to bring his attacker to justice.”
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