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Tarzana Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Killing Girlfriend Has Appeal Rejected by Court

Jason Dana Paul's defense contented that his conviction for possession of a bludgeoning tool violated his Second Amendment rights.

A state appellate court panel rejected an appeal from a Tarzana man convicted of trying to kill his girlfriend and opening fire after police arrived at the scene.

The three-justice panel from California's 2nd District Court of Appeal rejected the defense's contention that Jason Dana Paul's conviction for possession of a sap -- described by a police officer as a bludgeoning tool -- violated his Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

The defense did not challenge Paul's conviction on nine other counts, including attempted murder, assault on a peace officer with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a machine gun and possession of an assault weapon.

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The charges stemmed from a Feb. 28, 2010, attack on his girlfriend at their Tarzana townhome. Paul pushed the woman to the floor and kicked her until she was able to flee to the unit of a neighbor who had already called 911, according to the appellate court panel's four-page ruling released late Wednesday.

Paul chased the woman to the neighbor's unit, kicked in the door and began firing a handgun, striking his girlfriend twice. He then barricaded himself inside his townhome and shot at officers who were trying to escort paramedics into the neighbor's unit to treat his girlfriend. Paul, who held officers at bay for several hours, was sentenced last year to 35 years to life in state prison.

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