55-years-to-life sentence for gunman in fatal shooting outside La Mesa motel

A man convicted of gunning another man down in the parking lot of a La Mesa motel was sentenced Friday to 55 years to life in state prison.

Lorenzo Bogus, 26, was convicted by an El Cajon jury of second-degree murder and a firearm-use allegation in the Sept. 10, 2021, shooting at the Heritage Inn on Fletcher Parkway.

La Mesa police responded just after 9:30 p.m. and found the victim, a 32-year-old motel guest, unresponsive with gunshot wounds to his chest, neck, and head.

The victim, identified by prosecutors as Philip Diaz, died at the scene.

Police said several witnesses provided a description of the suspect, leading to Bogus' arrest a short time later.

A motive for the shooting was not disclosed and Deputy District Attorney Shane Waller said no motive was presented during Bogus' trial.

The prosecutor said a prior strike conviction caused Bogus' 15-year-to-life second-degree murder sentence to be doubled. He was sentenced to an additional 25-year-to-life term for using a firearm in the killing.

This story originally appeared in San Diego Union-Tribune.