Sentencing
Mason pled guilty and was sentenced to two consecutive life terms. At his sentencing hearing, Mason tearfully apologized to the families of Officers Phillips and Curtis. He said, "It's impossible to express to so many people how sorry I am. I do not understand why I did this. It does not fit in my life. It is not the person I know. I detest these crimes."
One El Segundo Detective commented, "He was remorseful. But I think he was more sad and more sorry for having been caught."
Mason was turned down for parole in 2009. He will be eligible for parole again in 2017. California prosecutors have vowed that he will never be released.
Mason is currently incarcerated in South Carolina, as his plea bargain granted him approval to serve his prison sentence near his family.
The widow of Officer Curtis commented, "I'm not his victim anymore. My son is not his victim anymore. I'm so grateful, and I had to wait this long. It's worth the wait."
In a 2003 interview with People Magazine, Terri Mason Whittaker said, "There really aren't words to describe the range of emotions we've gone through." Even so, she insisted, "I could not have had a better father."
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