Aiden Leos.Photo: GOFUNDME
Marcus Anthony Eriz has been found guilty in the death of a 6-year-old boy following aroad rage incident.
On Thursday, a jury convicted the 26-year-old Costa Mesa, Calif. resident of one felony count ofsecond-degree murder, one felony count of shooting into an occupied vehicle, and two felony enhancements of the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death.
Eriz faces a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in state prison when he is sentenced on April 12.
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After Cloonan made a hand gesture, Eriz fired into her vehicle, striking Leos.
“The heartbreak of a parent losing a child is so overwhelming that no word exists to describe it,” Orange County district attorney Todd Spitzer said ina statementon Thursday.
Aiden Leos.GOFUNDME
Leos’ mother testified at trial that moments before her child was struck, she had flipped the driver of the Volkswagen SportWagen off after the driver cut her off.
The boy died at a hospital in Orange.
Per Los Angeles’ABC 7, when Eriz took the stand, he had no explanation as to why he fired the weapon at Cloonan’s vehicle.
“I don’t have an answer. Because I’m stupid. I didn’t think of anything. I didn’t think of the consequences or anyone,” he said.
Marcus Anthony Eriz, Wynne Lee.
On Wednesday, his defense attorney Randall Bethune denied his client’s intent to harm Leos.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that Mr. Eriz even knew a child was in the car. Mr. Eriz acted rashly that day. He made a split decision act,” Bethune said. “This is a voluntary manslaughter case. Mr. Eriz is not a murderer.”
Orange County prosecutors did not agree.
“There can be no greater example of callous, cold-hearted, disregard for human life than firing at someone over a gesture, from a moving car as they drove away,” senior deputy district attorney Dan Feldman said.
Lee, who has been charged with accessory after the fact and having a firearm in a vehicle, has a pretrial hearing scheduled for Feb. 9.
source: people.com
