CBS News
California man found guilty of murder in 2021 road rage killing of 6-year-old
26-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz was found guilty of second-degree murder in a road rage shooting that killed 6-year-old Aiden Leos on the 55 Freeway back in 2021.
The verdict was announced on Wednesday by the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. Eriz faces up to 40 years to life in prison.
Eriz’s girlfriend, 26-year-old Wynee Lee, was driving the vehicle at the time of the shooting. She is awaiting trial for being an accessory after the fact.
Orange County District Attorney’s Office
Aiden was sitting in a booster seat when he was fatally shot on May 21, 2021, while his mother, Joanna Cloonan, was driving him to kindergarten.
Leos family
The dispute started when Lee cut off Cloonan, forcing her to suddenly brake to avoid a collision. Lee flashed a peace sign at Cloonan, which “angered” her and she gave a hand gesture back. Lee then slipped in behind Cloonan when shots were fired at the rear of her car.
The bullet went through the vehicle’s trunk, backseat and then through Aiden’s car seat before hitting him. Aiden was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The couple drove away after firing the weapon and both were taken into custody 2 weeks later.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Dan Feldman argued for a second-degree murder conviction while Eriz’s attorney, Randall Bethune of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, advocated for a voluntary manslaughter conviction.
Eriz opted not to testify on his behalf, leaving his hour-long statement to investigators to explain his actions.
The main legal issue in the trial is whether Eriz had time to reflect in the moments he reached into the backseat of the vehicle, grab the weapon, roll down the window, and point and shoot at Cloonan’s car.
Feldman said it showed what lawyers refer to as “implied malice,” while Bethune argued that Cloonan’s insulting them with a middle-finger provided enough provocation to knock it down from murder to manslaughter.
Eriz’s actions to grab the gun and fire it out the window met the legal burden for implied malice murder, Feldman argued. “This took thought,” he said. “This wasn’t an example of accidental discharge (of a gun).”
A Frontier flight appeared to catch fire as the plane was landing Saturday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cell phone video showed flames and billows of smoke on the plane’s undercarriage as it touched down on the runway. Fire trucks and other emergency service vehicles rushed onto the runway, as smoke continued to surround the plane.
“Frontier flight 1326 experienced a hard landing,” a spokesperson for the airport confirmed to CBS News. “The Clark County Fire Department responded immediately and all passengers and crew have been safely transported to the gated area. No injuries were reported.”
Frontier flight 1326 from KSAN-KLAS just caught fire on landing at KLAS.
I caught it on video as it landed pic.twitter.com/KGt1Asx3rv
— Tyler (@TylerHerrick) October 5, 2024
Frontier Flight 1326 left San Diego at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Time and landed at Las Vegas at 3:37 p.m., according to Flight Aware.
“The pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency,” a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines confirmed to CBS News. “The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via airstairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
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$100 million in federal funds released for North Carolina to rebuild roads, bridges damaged by Helene
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds on Saturday for North Carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by Helene.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
The storm caused rampant flooding that has devastated several towns and killed more than 225 people – with CBS News confirming at least 114 people killed in North Carolina. There was more than 8 inches of rain across the western North Carolina mountains, with some areas seeing more than a foot.
Hundreds of roads across Western North Carolina remain closed, leading to an increase in air traffic as teams scour the region for survivors by air. Air traffic over Western North Carolina has increased by 300% due to relief efforts since the storm cleared, the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Mudslides blocked Interstate 40 and other highways in North Carolina and about 400 roads were closed due to damage from Helene. Interstate 40 was damaged at several locations, the Department of Transportation said.
President Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage by air from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Biden announced the federal government would cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months.
The Department of Transportation said these relief funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
Li Cohen and
contributed to this report.
