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Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty To Murder Of L.A. County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Owen

A Lancaster man pled guilty Thursday to the murder of Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Sergeant Steve Owen five years ago.

Trenton Trevor Lovell, 31, faces multiple charges – including murder – after he allegedly killed Sgt. Steve Owen, who was actively responding to a residential burglary outside a Lancaster apartment complex in 2016.

Lovell entered his plea on Thursday to one count of each of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, first-degree burglary, person present, possession of a firearm by a felon and two counts of first-degree residential robbery and false imprisonment by violence, officials said.

He admitted to the special circumstance allegation of a peace officer and special allegations of using a firearm to murder Owen, using a patrol car as a deadly weapon during the attempted murder of a second peace officer on scene, using a knife in a robbery and false imprisonment after he fled from the scene of the murder, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officials.

Owen, a decorated, 29-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department, was responding to a reported burglary call with the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station on Oct. 5, 2016 when he was shot and killed on Avenue J in Lancaster.

Lovell allegedly shot Owen several times both as he approached the location and while standing over the victim’s collapsed body, according to officials.

See Related: Santa Clarita, Lancaster Law Enforcement Honor Fallen Sgt Steve Owen One Year Later

“While responding to the burglary on the 3200 block of West Avenue J-7, Owen had his partner remain in the front of the location while he went around to check the rear,” reads a statement on the Blue Lives Matter page. “As Owens approached the rear of the building, an armed suspect shot him in the face.”

Lovell reportedly ran past Owen’s collapsed body and jumped into the sergeant’s cruiser parked at the front of the building. The suspect put the car in reverse in an attempt to run over another deputy nearby who opened fire.

The suspect ended up colliding with another cruiser, injuring another deputy inside, according to officials.

See Related: Man Accused Of Murdering LASD Sgt. Owen Returns To Court

“He then bailed out of the vehicle and fled on foot. He ran into a nearby home which was occupied by two teens,” the Blue Lives Matter statement continues. “One of the teens quickly contacted police to notify them of the suspect’s location. SWAT responded and forced their way into the home but the suspect was able to flee out the back. He jumped a fence and ran into another backyard where he was quickly surrounded by deputies. He was taken into custody. At some point during the event, most likely during the initial collision, he was struck in the torso by a round fired by deputies.”

During his preliminary hearing in 2018, Lovell pled not guilty.

At the same hearing, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Zachary Anderson identified Lovell as the man he saw standing over Owen’s body outside the apartment complex, officials said.

Lovell faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is scheduled to be sentenced on May 17.

As a result of the incident, Owen has since received the Sheriff’s Department’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor, for his active role in safely placing an armed suspect in custody without lethal force.


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Lancaster Man Pleads Guilty To Murder Of L.A. County Sheriff’s Sergeant Steve Owen

7 comments

  1. I hope he rots in jail and then burns in hell.

  2. Career Criminals usual plead innocent because they’re usually liars also—-wonder if he’s counting on Gas-Con to reduce his sentence to community service?!

  3. Sadly because this occurred in LA County, D.A Gascon supports this criminal and will release or significantly reduce his sentence further empowering these attacks to continue. You voters need to start paying attention to different political philosophies and not an individual candidates hairstyle and empty words. Know who backs them and what they stand for.

  4. This pos should of been publicly hanged the day after he killed sgt owen.

  5. Funny. White Officer killed by black man. Now if the officer killed the criminal, Lancaster would be on fire. BLM “Blacks Love Murder” would have the city counsel members rolling out the red carpet and giving the family millions.

  6. Ray, unfortunately true! Now you’ll be blamed as a Racist and mean spirited & hurtful, despite the truth/facts!! Liberal insanity lurks!

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About Rachel Matta

Born and raised in Santa Clarita, Rachel Matta has always had a love for writing and media. The first time she ever smiled was actually while she was laying next to her mom as she flipped through the pages of a magazine. Upon graduating from high school in 2019, she chose to major in both journalism and political science at College of the Canyons with the intention of concentrating in news reporting. She began her journey at KHTS as a news intern in the summer of 2020 and officially joined the newsroom in the spring of 2021, intending to move forward with compassion and inquisition.