The prosecutor’s office in Stanislaus County said last week that the Modesto man who shot into a car full of teens that had taken a wrong turn pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Two other people, including 25-year-old Damon Morrison Jr., were standing in front of a house on Oak Street when Maria Juarez, 14, drove her car into a dead end early on December 26, 2020, just after midnight.
The neighborhood where the shooting happened was run by the Valley Boyz Crip street gang at the time. Morrison and his two friends were members of this gang.
There were three people in Juarez: a woman aged 18, a boy aged 16, and a girl aged 11. Juarez turned the car around when she reached a dead end.
Morrison and the other two people shot more than 20 shots at the car as it went by because they thought the people inside were from a rival gang. “Juarez crashed into a light pole as she tried to escape,” the DA’s Office said.
Juarez was shot twice, and both wounds killed him. The 16-year-old boy and the 18-year-old woman were also shot but were found safe. The 11-year-old girl did not get hurt.
After about a month, homicide officers from the Modesto Police Department caught Morrison and the other two shooters, 24-year-old Angelo Keo and a 16-year-old boy.
Keo was taken at first on suspicion of murder and attempted murder. As part of his plea deal, though, these charges were dropped. Keo admitted to killing someone on purpose and attacking someone with a dangerous weapon. Court records show that he was given a 17-year prison term.
The DA’s Office said it couldn’t bring charges against Keo for the crimes for which he was first arrested because of “evidentiary issues.” It was found that Keo’s gun was not the one that killed Juarez during the probe.
The suspect, a child, is still being held while it is decided whether he will be tried as an adult or a minor.
Morrison Jr. admitted to killing the person and was given a life term in prison.
“The Modesto Police Department’s Street Gang Unit found links between this criminal street gang and several violent crimes,” a DA’s Office statement said. “The Major Crimes Unit of the District Attorney’s Office prosecuted several cases involving this street gang and got people convicted.” Law enforcement measures have made it much harder for gangs to engage in illegal gang activities.
Source: A teen was killed when she made a wrong turn in Modesto. Her killer was just sentenced
