A jury convicted a California man of murder Thursday for fatally shooting a 6-year-old boy who was riding in the back of his mother’s car on a busy freeway.
Orange County jurors found Marcus Eriz, 26, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Aiden Leos, who was strapped into a booster seat on his way to kindergarten.
He was also found guilty of shooting into an occupied motor vehicle.
Authorities said Eriz and his girlfriend, Wynne Lee, were on their way to work on May 21, 2021, when Lee cut off a car driven by Aiden’s mother, who responded with a rude gesture.
Eriz pulled out a gun, reached out the window and fired a shot at the mother’s car that went through the trunk and through Aiden’s heart, authorities said.
The shooting shocked the county of 3 million people, which relies heavily on a network of highways to get to work and school, and drew international attention as authorities searched for the killer for more than two weeks.
Marcus Eriz was found guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Aiden Leos, who was strapped to a booster seat on his way to kindergarten on May 21, 2021. AP
“If you shoot someone or use violence in this county and harm an individual, you will pay the price,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters after the verdicts were read.
“Mr. Eriz expects 40 years to live. His life is over, and it’s because he took the life of this precious, innocent child,” Spitzer said, pointing to a large photograph on display of a smiling Aiden.
Eriz looked directly at the jurors as they were questioned after reading the verdicts. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 12. Eriz’s attorney, Randall Bethune, declined to comment Thursday.
Senior Deputy Prosecutor Dan Feldman speaks after Eriz was found guilty of the murder of Aiden Leos. AP authorities said Eriz and his girlfriend, Wynne Lee, were on their way to work on May 21, 2021, when Lee cut off a car driven by Aiden’s mother, who responded with a rude gesture. AP
A little more than two weeks after the shooting, authorities arrested Eriz and Lee outside their apartment in the Orange County city of Costa Mesa after following leads to the white car she was driving.
Eriz told police he pulled out his gun and fired, knowing it was dangerous, Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman told jurors during the trial.
Eriz’s attorney argued that his client had no intention of killing anyone in what began as a road rage incident and did not know he had done so until days later, when a co-worker commented that Lee’s car looked the one the authorities were looking for.
Lee, who has pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact, is being tried separately.
Jurors began their deliberations Wednesday night. They met for just over an hour Thursday when they announced they had reached a verdict, Feldman said.
Feldman shows the jury a 9mm handgun as part of the evidence against Eriz on Jan. 18, 2024. AP
Orange County Superior Court Judge Richard M. King thanked the jurors and told them that free counseling was available if they needed it.
“This has been a very difficult case,” he said before dismissing them.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn