Two suspects were charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a 6-year-old boy on a California state highway last month.
Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, appeared in court on Tuesday, where a judge charged him with murder in the death of Aiden Leos. Eriz and his girlfriend, Wynne Lee, 23, were arrested on Sunday for their alleged involvement in the May 21 shooting of Leos, who died shortly after he was shot while riding in his mother’s backseat on the freeway.
Lee has been charged with one felony count of being an accessory after the shooting and one misdemeanor of illegally concealing a firearm. She was allegedly behind the wheel of the vehicle at the time Eriz fired the gun.
MUGSHOTS RELEASED OF ALLEGED SHOOTER OF 6-YEAR-OLD BOY
We are confirming the arrest of the two suspects believed responsible for the shooting death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos. Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, and Wynne Lee, 23, were arrested at their home in Costa Mesa.
— CHP Santa Ana (@CHPSantaAna) June 7, 2021
Authorities said Eriz fired his gun from a white Volkswagen while driving on the 55 Freeway in the city of Orange on May 21.
A bullet hit and killed Leos while he was sitting in a car seat in the back of his mother’s vehicle on the way to school. The suspect couple fled the scene of the shooting, leading to a manhunt that included a $500,000 reward for information about their location.
“We absolutely believe that she was the driver and that he rolled down his window and extended his arm out of the car and fired a round from a gun,” Todd Spitzer, the Orange County district attorney, said referring to Eriz and Lee.
Authorities were able to locate the suspects after reviewing surveillance footage from highway toll cameras. Prosecutors said there are only about 140 vehicles matching the make and model of Eriz’s Volkswagen traveling on Orange County roads.
The arrests and discovery of the vehicle came on Sunday, one day after an emotional family memorial service for Leos.
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“My precious son had his life ripped away for absolutely no reason,” Joanna Cloonan, the boy’s mother, said according to CBS. “I want nothing more than to find justice.”
