Meki Gaono was resentenced to life without parole plus 51 years for the murder of Oceanside Police Officer Bessant at age 17, after law changes prompted sentence reconsideration.

Meki Gaono was 17 years old when he and two alleged gang members opened fire on Officer Dan Bessant days before Christmas in 2006. He was arrested, convicted of murder and sentenced in 2009 to life without parole. As a juvenile tried as an adult, it was the harshest sentence Gaono could get.

A man who shot and killed an Oceanside police officer when he was 17 years old was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, marking the second time he has been sentenced.

A man who was 17 when he shot and killed an Oceanside police officer was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The decision marked the second time that Meki Gaono, now 36, has been sentenced to life without parole for the slaying of Officer Daniel Bessant nearly 20 years ago.