Man accused of murder in Vancouver police officer death appears in court

CLARK COUNTY, Wash. (KPTV) - The man accused of murder in the death of a Vancouver police officer appeared in court Wednesday morning.

Julio Cesar Segura, 20, is accused of robbing a convenience store on Jan. 29, then led Clark County deputies on a chase that ended at Vancouver Police Officer Donald Sahota’s home in Battle Ground.

Officer Sahota exited his home and attempted to detain Segura, who became aggressive. During a struggle, Officer Sahota suffered stab wounds and lost control of his firearm. A deputy with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office mistook Sahota for the suspect, then shot and killed him.

On Tuesday, prosecutors filed additional charges against Segura. He now faces 10 charges: three counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, attempted murder, attempted kidnapping, first-degree burglary, first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, and attempt to elude.

During Segura’s court appearance on Wednesday, his defense asked the judge to lower his $5 million bail and release him from jail. They also requested to postpone arraignment, as they didn’t have an understanding yet of the new charges filed by state prosecutors.

The newest charges include three counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, and attempted kidnapping. Prosecutors detailed the cause of each those charges.

In regards to the attempted kidnapping charge, prosecutors said after Segura stabbed Officer Sahota, he ran into Sahota’s home and chased down his wife in an attempt to capture her. She was able to escape.

Prosecutors sited the findings of a doctor for the basis of the murder, saying the puncture wound to Officer Sahota’s neck was life-threatening and would have been fatal without immediate medical attention. But before that could happen, Sahota died from a gunshot wound.

After considering Segura’s risk to the public and his ability to live locally to attend future court appearances, the judge ultimately denied the defense’s request to release Segura and lower bail, which will remain at $5 million.

Segura did waive his right to a speedy arraignment. His arraignment hearing is scheduled for March 1 at the Clark County Courthouse.