By The Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, CA – The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said last week it objected to a plea deal—not mandatory jail—given to a Sacramento Police Dept. officer after his actions led to the death of a 61-year-old motorcyclist.
Officer Benjamin Jillson was convicted and sentenced for misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence to a plea offer made by the court for 90 days in county jail.
But, Jillson won’t even do the 90 days if he does 100 hours of community service, said the DA’s office, which called the plea deal “too lenient.”
According to a statement by the DA, Jillson on Oct. 31, 2022, was “on duty driving his patrol vehicle on Bell Ave. east of Rio Linda Blvd. in Sacramento. Jillson made a U-turn onto westbound Bell Ave.
“(Denzil) Broadhurst (61) was riding his motorcycle on westbound Bell Ave. and attempted to brake when Jillson’s patrol vehicle drove in front of him. Mr. Broadhurst collided with Officer Jillson and passed away from his injuries.”
“Now that the criminal proceedings have been adjudicated, an internal investigation is now underway,” a spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Dept said. Jillson is still a police officer.
“The family remains devastated over the loss of Denzil. They can now at least put the criminal and civil cases behind them and move forward with the healing process. They also thank the District Attorney for pursuing this case against the officer who killed Denzil,” Robert Glassman, an attorney for the Broadhurst family, said in a statement.
The family filed a civil lawsuit against the city and Jillson, and the city of Sacramento approved an award of $2 million in taxpayer monies to the family last August.
