(RepublicanPress.org) – Road rage incidents aren’t an uncommon occurrence on America’s highways and byways. Sadly, a young boy died on a busy California freeway after an enraged motorist fired on the car his mother was driving. A jury recently convicted Marcus Eriz for his role in the boy’s death.
On January 25, an Orange County, California, jury convicted Marcus Eriz, 26, of second-degree murder in the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos. They also found him guilty of firing into an occupied car and causing grievous injury and death.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer held a quick press conference after the jury handed down its verdicts. He warned would-be criminals that if they shoot someone or use violence to harm someone, they would “pay the price.”
California man found guilty in road rage murder of 6-year-old boy in freeway shooting https://t.co/QtfgtAEVcT pic.twitter.com/k4QzIzx32i
— New York Post (@nypost) January 26, 2024
Spitzer also told reporters that Eriz is “looking at [spending] 40 years to life” behind bars. “His life is over,” he stated, “because he took the life of this […] innocent little boy,” he concluded, pointing at an oversized photograph of Aiden displayed behind him.
The road rage shooting took place in May 2021 on California State Route 55, one of Southern California’s most congested freeways. Local media outlets reported that Eriz’s car had cut off Cloonan’s, and she made an obscene gesture at him.
Eriz subsequently fired a handgun into the trunk of Cloonan’s car, striking Aiden. He was riding in a booster seat in the back of the vehicle.
Cloonan reportedly held him in her arms until paramedics arrived and transported him to a local hospital. There, doctors were unable to save his life.
Friends of the family raised more than $200,000 as a reward for information leading to the shooter’s arrest. Aiden’s family reportedly hoped to contribute $50,000 to kick off the campaign.
A few weeks later, law enforcement officials arrested Eriz and his girlfriend, then-23-year-old Wynne Lee. She faces up to four years in prison if a jury convicts her of having a concealed firearm in her vehicle and being an accessory after the fact.
The court scheduled Eriz’s sentencing hearing in April.
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