The killer of a man in a La Mesa motel parking lot received a term of 55 years to life in prison on March 24 after a jury earlier convicted him of second-degree murder.

Lorenzo Djaune Bogus, 26, was also fined $10,000 for the Sept. 10, 2021, slaying of Phillip Diaz, 32, who was found shot in the parking lot of the Heritage Inn, at 7851 Fletcher Parkway at 9:38 p.m.

La Mesa Police said Diaz had been shot in the head, chest, and neck, and was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics after officers administered CPR to the victim.

Diaz was a guest of the motel. Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller said the incident was not a drug transaction. A motive for the slaying was not disclosed. “The true motive is known only to Mr. Bogus,” said Waller.

Because Bogus had a prior strike conviction of residential burglary from 2016, his sentence for second-degree murder was doubled from 15 years to life to 30 years to life, said Waller.

Additionally, El Cajon Superior Court Judge John Thompson added 25 years to the term for Bogus using a firearm during a homicide, which totaled 55 years to life in prison.

The San Diego Police Department’s ABLE helicopter assisted in the arrest of Bogus who was found in the 7900 block of Parkway Drive. A sheriff’s department tracking dog also located a firearm in the same area.

Bogus was given credits of already serving 560 days in jail.

Photo credit: Pixabay.com