PHOENIX — A man has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison for the murder of a Maricopa County detention officer.
On Friday, a Maricopa County judge sentenced Daniel Davitt to 33 years in prison for the 2019 murder of Officer Gene Lee.
NOTE: Video in player is from previous coverage of the incident
The incident occurred at the Lower Buckeye Jail near 35th Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road around 8 a.m.
During video of the attack, Davitt grabbed Lee by the throat and swept his legs from under his body causing him to hit his head on the floor of the jail. Due to the head injury, Officer Lee died the following day.
Davitt was already in custody, serving time for child molestation.
Following the sentencing Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said, "Officer Gene Lee was a public servant who devoted his life to protecting our community. It is a travesty for his life to have ended in this way, and I can only imagine the depths of the sorrow his family is experiencing. I am grateful to the judge for imposing a lengthy sentence, and am grateful to the people in my office who worked relentlessly to bring his attacker to justice."
