Overview

• The jury convicted 21-year-old Steven Montano on first-degree murder and related weapons charges in the March 1, 2023, slaying of Officer Andrés Vásquez Lasso.
• Deliberations lasted several hours as jurors weighed whether Montano’s claim of mistaken identity and fear qualified for a lesser second-degree verdict.
• Prosecutors pointed to body-worn camera footage showing Montano firing five rounds at Vásquez Lasso, whose uniform and verbal commands were clearly visible.
• Montano testified he acted out of pure fear based on past negative encounters with police and did not realize the person chasing him was an officer.
• A sentencing hearing is expected to be set soon, with Montano facing potential life imprisonment for the officer’s killing.