Man sentenced in deputy’s death
A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 26 years to life in prison in the death of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy who was crushed by a cement truck after he swerved to avoid a stolen stove that had fallen from the man’s pickup.
Cole Allen Wilkins, 32, was convicted in May in the death of David Piquette, a 10-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department who died driving to work on the 91 Freeway in Anaheim in 2006.
Wilkins was convicted under the felony murder rule, invoked when someone is killed during commission of a felony. His lawyers called the charge unfair.
-- Christine Hanley
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
