HOUSTON -- As a jury decides if a convicted cop killer should be jailed or given a death sentence, the slain officer’s widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the man that employed her husband’s killer. She is also considering suing the city because of its single officer patrol policy.

Juan Quintero was found guilty last week of shooting Houston Officer Rodney Johnson after he had been arrested during a traffic stop. Quintero, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, shot Johnson seven times using a weapon not discovered during his pat down when arrested on Sept. 21, 2006.

On Monday, Joslyn Johnson sued Robert Lane Camp, a landscaper who employed Quintero, claiming he was negligent in hiring the illegal immigrant.

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HPD Officer Rodney Johnson

Camp already faces federal charges related to Quintero’s hiring.

Ben Dominquez, Mrs. Johnson’s attorney, said his client was seeking $10 million in damages from Camp.

Dominquez said too that Johnson was considering filing a lawsuit against the City of Houston for operating under a one officer per car policy, where officers patrol without partners. Johnson was alone the day he was killed by Quintero.

“We should not be faced with these types of issues and in this day and age in this size of the city we should have two-man units in all vehicles,” said Mrs. Johnson, herself an officer, during a press conference held at the Houston Police Officer's Union headquarters on Monday. “It’s not fair to say to an officer when you go to your shift that you don’t know whether you are going to go home at night.”

The officer's widow said too that she believes a two-man patrol policy would have saved her husband's life.

"I do believe if he had someone backing him up, he would still be alive today,” said Mrs. Johnson. “Someone to watch his back and watch Mr. Quintero as he interviewed the other people in that car, I do believe he'd be alive today.”