A Superior Court Judge Described Shahen’s Crimes as “Extremely Sophisticated and Well-Planned”
Vacho Shahen, a Las Vegas man recently convicted on 16 felony charges related to a 2016 home invasion and shooting in Santa Monica, has been sentenced to 46 years and eight months in state prison, according to multiple reports.
Superior Court Judge Henry Hall described Shahen’s crimes as “extremely sophisticated and well-planned,” adding that his sentencing is aimed at keeping “him (the defendant) out of society for as long as humanly possible,” according to City News Service.
In August of 2016, SMPD officers responded to a “shots fired” call at a Santa Monica residence in the 600 block of Adelaide Drive. Once they arrived, the property’s owner was found shot in the torso; the result of a failed robbery attempt. The victim survived after being treated at UCLA hospital. According to KTLA, Shahen wore a mask recognized from the “Scream” movie franchise.
With the help of DNA evidence, a multi-year investigation linked the home invasion with a string of others in Beverly Hills and Downey; all of which occurred within the same two-week span. Shahen, 39, was arrested in Philadelphia in 2018. After a recent three-week trial, a jury convicted Shahen on 16 of 17 felony charges.
Shahen was acquitted of an attempted murder charge involving the shooting of the man during the Santa Monica burglary, but found him guilty of assault with a firearm, Patch.com reported. He was also acquitted of another robbery charge involving a crime in Downey.
