Adam Wade Disa is likely to spend the rest of his life in prison after Judge Peter Foor sentenced him to 50 years to life in prison for murdering Katie Gillihan.
"This is a mandatory sentence but even if it were not a mandatory sentence, this is what I would impart," said Foor as he handed down the punishment. "Mr. Disa has, throughout these proceedings, really taken no responsibility for what his actions were."
Disa, dressed in green and white striped jail garb showed no emotion as Judge Foor went on to say that his explanation of what happened the morning Gillihan died was "absolutely preposterous".
Disa was sentenced under the guidelines of California’s three-strikes law, which requires the judge to add 25 years to the determinate part of a prison term for defendants convicted of their third strike. Disa had two prior convictions for domestic assault.
Prisoners who are serving time for violent crimes such as murder are not eligible for good behavior credits so Disa won’t be considered for parole until 2061. He does receive credit for the time he has already spent behind bars while awaiting trial.
who was adopted at birth, was living with Disa at the time of her death, but had been planning to move to Texas to be near her biological father
Her mother Donna Gillihan read a statement prior to sentencing in which she asked Judge Peter Foor to give Disa the longest possible sentence. “It makes me feel better-a little better. Maybe,” said Gillihan after the sentencing hearing.
Disa’s mother and sister left the court building after a brief discussion with Ken Lee, the public defender assigned to Disa’s case.
Do you subscribe to the Benicia Patch newsletter? It brings our latest stories, blogs, announcements and the day's calendar events to your in-box early each morning. Follow Benicia Patch on Facebook and Twitter.
Do you have opinions, experiences and views to share? Consider becoming a Benicia Patch blogger!
If there’s something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor JB Davis at 707-628-0051 or email him at benicia@patch.com.
jimpugh 11:23 am on Friday, November 18, 2011 The city of Vallejo has turned into a killing field these days. It is no wonder given that the size of the force directed to control such things is just no longer large enough to stop these things from happening. It is sad that enough though Officer Capoot was wearing full body armour, he was unable to keep from being fatally shot. Today the animals are controling the Zoo which is now called Vallejo. jimpugh Joe Feltcher 1:34 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012 Thank you BPD for keeping tight reigns on this trash that keeps coming into Benicia to stir up trouble. Personally I am getting sick of it. Babaloo 2:09 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012 Thank YOU Benicia PD.....who took the trash out,,,wuf wuf woof woof... Joe Feltcher 10:03 am on Thursday, June 28, 2012 I look forward to reading an article about robberies, bank holdups, and copper thefts from the Industrial park that do NOT involve Blacks from out of town. Please let me know when THAT article is published.... Joe Feltcher 4:54 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Can we close the border with Vallejo? Is that feasible? I'd rather the City spend money on that than solar panels. Michaelangelo 6:15 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 Well regardless of who ever fired the shots, closing the border between Benicia and Vallejo is not a bad idea.