COVINGTON — The mother of slain State Trooper Calvin Jenks said Wednesday the man who shot her son should be sent to prison for the rest of his life, without possibility of parole. Alejandro Gauna, a Texas teenager, was convicted of first-degree murder about 1 p.m. in the shooting death of former Culleoka resident Calvin Jenks,
Jenks’ mother, Jane Whitaker, said the verdict was just, but it was a tough three-day trial. She said the hardest part was listening to a forensic pathologist discuss the details of how her 24-year-old son’s brain was destroyed by the bullet the then 17-year-old boy fired. Gauna, 18, the suspected triggerman and one of two men accused in the shooting death of Jenks Jan. 6., shot the trooper in the head during a traffic stop on State Route 14, near State Route 54, east of Covington. A Tipton County jury took about half-an-hour to deliver the verdict. Gauna cannot receive the death penalty since he was a juvenile when the shooting occurred. Prosecutors told Whitaker Gauna will serve at least 51 years in prison even if he is granted parole. “He’ll never see the light of freedom for at least that long,” she said. Although there will be some closure, Whitaker said she will still have to attend the appeals. Gauna is also being charged with federal crimes, she said. Testimony during the trial indicated there may be some charges stemming from the transport of drugs over state lines. During closing arguments, Memphis defense attorney Blake Ballin conceded Gauna shot Jenks, but he said the shooting was not premeditated. Gauna told the court he would not testify. Gauna was also convicted of possession of marijuana. The prosecution said Gauna and 20-year-old Orlando Daniel Garcia, both of Austin, were involved in the murder of Jenks and said they were prepared to kill a police officer to protect several bags of marijuana they were taking to market in Nashville. Garcia was found guilty of facilitation of first-degree murder in a December jury trial, but received the equivalent of a 7-year sentence.
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