Killer coldly addresses parents of victim

Erica D. Johnson

Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2004 | 11:12 a.m.

A Las Vegas man who narrowly avoided a potential death penalty took lack of remorse to a new level Tuesday as he addressed the parents of a man he killed in a violent crime spree that spanned two states.

Moments before he was to be sentenced by District Judge Valorie Vega, Daniel Sigler addressed the parents of 20-year-old Christopher Carl Jefferson.

Police say Sigler shot and killed Jefferson during an April crime spree that began in Las Vegas and ended in Long Beach, Calif. Jefferson's body was found in an apartment east of the Strip.

Sigler, 22, avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to 13 felony charges, including murder, attempted murder and first-degree kidnapping.

During Tuesday's hearing, Sigler told Jefferson's parents that their son sold drugs and that he shot him because he had a large amount of money that he "wouldn't give up."

"It was nothing personal," Sigler said, nonchalantly. "I rob and sometimes kill big-time drug dealers. That's what I do for a living."

"He just happened to be in the wrong profession."

Chief Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly said there was no evidence to suggest Jefferson was a drug dealer. She said Jefferson was killed "basically for no reason."

Sigler also told Jefferson's parents that they were wrong in their belief that he shot Jefferson in the back. He said Jefferson was not trying to run away when he shot him.

"Just so the family knows ... he was looking at me in the eye when I shot him about five times in the face," Sigler said.

Vega sentenced Sigler to life in prison without the possibility of parole on the murder count. She sentenced him to four other life sentences with parole on the other counts.

Sigler was sentenced to 56 years in a California prison for the portion of the crimes he committed there. He will serve out his sentence in Nevada, however, Weckerly said.

Sigler appeared to show no reaction when Vega handed down the sentence.

Sigler's statements and conduct during the trial and sentencing "shows he has no remorse," Weckerly said. "He doesn't deserve any sympathy."

Sigler's attorney, Deputy Special Public Defender Phil Kohn, declined to comment on his client's attitude. Kohn extended his condolences to Jefferson's family.

Police say Sigler committed three carjackings in Las Vegas, forced a couple to drive him to Long Beach, then held his 2-year-old son hostage on a Long Beach bus while exchanging gunfire with police.

"This defendant committed a lifetime of crimes in a span of three weeks," Weckerly told Vega. "And that's an understatement."

Jefferson's mother, Robin Pete, said she still has not come to grips with her son's killing or the violent way in which he died.

"He was my baby," she said, looking directly at Sigler. "And for whatever reason you decided to take him away from me. You have created a void in my family."

Police say the crimes began when Sigler tried to carjack a man at a car wash in Las Vegas. Sigler pointed a gun at the motorist and ordered him to turn over his car, but the man refused and drove off. Sigler fired shots at the car, hitting the victim twice through the driver's side door. The victim drove to a nearby apartment complex and got help for his injuries.

Sigler later came upon middle-aged couple getting out of their car in their driveway near Nellis Boulevard and Harmon Avenue. He ordered them at gunpoint back into the car and demanded a ride to Long Beach, Calif., police said.

Once in Long Beach, police allege Sigler broke into his estranged girlfriend's apartment and shot at her while she crouched in a closet. The woman was not hurt. Sigler grabbed his 2-year-old son and ran from the apartment.

As police canvassed the area, a bus driver called police and informed them that a man matching Sigler's description had boarded a city bus. As police approached the bus, Sigler fired shots at the officers, hitting a police cruiser, and the officers returned fire. No one was hurt.

Eventually, Sigler let his son off the bus, tossed out his handgun and surrendered, police said. It was unclear at which point in the crime spree Sigler shot Jefferson.

Sigler previously had a minor criminal record, which involves possession of a controlled substance charges, Weckerly said.

Despite the violent details of the crime spree, Jefferson's father, Carl, said he was glad his son's killer didn't get the death penalty.

"I don't want death for you," he told Sigler. "Because death is too good for you."