Local News in Brief : Life Sentence Given in Officer’s Slaying

A 27-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the murder of a Los Angeles police detective who was gunned down in front of his young son three years ago.

Van Nuys Superior Court Judge Judith Ashmann imposed the sentence on Ruben Antonio Moss, who was convicted Aug. 31 of first-degree murder in the Halloween, 1985, slaying of Detective Thomas C. Williams.

The judge denied defense motions for a new trial and a less severe jail term, court officials said.

A jury on Sept. 29 recommended the life term instead of the death penalty for Moss, who was considered the “loyal lieutenant” of the actual triggerman in the shooting.

Gunman Daniel Jenkins, who killed Williams in retaliation for the detective’s testimony against him in a robbery trial, was sentenced to death in the gas chamber after being convicted Aug. 30.

Three alleged co-conspirators--Duane Moody, Voltaire Williams and Reecy C. Cooper--are on trial.

Williams died in a hail of bullets as he picked up his 6-year-old son at a Canoga Park church school.