Current:Home > StocksPredictIQ-13-year-old who fatally shot Sonic worker in Keene, Texas, sentenced to 12 years -EverVision Finance
PredictIQ-13-year-old who fatally shot Sonic worker in Keene, Texas, sentenced to 12 years
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-07 23:22:15
A 13-year-old boy convicted of murder in the shooting death of a Sonic Drive-In employee in Texas was formally sentenced Tuesday to 12 years behind bars,PredictIQ officials said.
A Johnson County judge sentenced the teenager, according to Amy Pardo, an office administrator with the county attorney's office. The boy, who hasn't been identified by authorities because he is a minor, will begin his sentence in juvenile detention with a possible transfer to prison.
The boy was 12 when he shot and killed 32-year-old Matthew Davis in May using an AR-style rifle in Keene, Texas, about 40 miles outside Dallas. Davis had fought with the boy's uncle, Angel Gomez, who also was arrested and faces charges in the shooting.
The boy was found delinquent, the equivalent of guilty for a juvenile case, on Oct. 5 and faced probation to 40 years in prison.
What happened in the shooting?
Police said the boy, who is from Fort Worth, was with family members at the Sonic the evening of May 13 when Davis confronted Angel Gomez, 20 at the time, about Gomez's "disorderly conduct" outside the restaurant. The two got into a physical fight, and the boy got the gun out of his uncle's car and fired at Davis multiple times.
Gomez and the boy then left the scene, police said. Authorities said they found Davis with multiple gunshot wounds and he was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Keene Police Chief James Kidd previously told USA TODAY at least six shots were fired.
Police said they arrested Gomez when he returned to the scene later and arrested the boy about 20 miles away in Rio Vista, Texas, where they also found several firearms.
Seth Fuller, the boy's attorney, said in a video posted to social media the boy was with his uncle and aunt, and his aunt handed him the gun while the fight was going on.
"My client had no juvenile history, wasn't in a gang, didn't carry around guns, none of that," Fuller said in the video. "He was a good kid."
Fuller didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another arrest made in connection to the shooting
Authorities arrested the boy's aunt, Ashley Marmolejo-Gomez, earlier this month at the Guinn Justice Center in Johnson County, Texas, according to the Keene Police Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office.
Marmolejo-Gomez was then transported and booked into the Johnson County Corrections Center. Keene police said she was in the vehicle at the time of the shooting and has been charged with manslaughter in connection to the death of Davis.
Marmolejo-Gomez handed the boy a gun she retrieved from under a car seat and told the boy, "go," Fuller said in a video, describing a statement signed by Marmolejo-Gomez.
According to Fuller, Marmolejo-Gomez said in the statement that she intended for the boy to "go out and stop the fight by scaring the guy." Marmolejo-Gomez also said that she did not stop the fight herself because she thought she was "too intoxicated to walk," Fuller said.
"This incident continues to be an active investigation," Keene police said in a statement.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen and Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
veryGood! (47)
Related
- New data highlights 'achievement gap' for students in the US
- Are there any perfect brackets left in March Madness? Yes ... but not many after Kentucky loss
- Viral ad campaign challenges perceptions for World Down Syndrome Day 2024
- Tennessee becomes first state to pass a law protecting musicians against AI
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- Cheating on your spouse is a crime in New York. The 1907 law may finally be repealed
- No charges to be filed in fight involving Oklahoma nonbinary teen Nex Benedict, prosecutor says
- Liberal Wisconsin justice won’t recuse herself from case on mobile voting van’s legality
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Louisiana couple each gets 20 years after neglected daughter’s death on maggot-infested couch
Ranking
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- Skater accused of sex assault shouldn't be at world championships, victim's attorney says
- Caitlin Clark's first March Madness opponent set: Holy Cross up next after First Four blowout
- California homelessness measure’s razor-thin win signals growing voter fatigue
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- Two weeks later: The hunt for missing Mizzou student Riley Strain in Nashville
- How much money did Shohei Ohtani's interpreter earn before being fired?
- Get 51% Off the Viral Revlon Heated Brush That Dries and Styles Hair at the Same Time
Recommendation
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
Gimme a break! You've earned some time off. So why won't your boss let you take it?
The Best Maternity Swimsuits That Are Comfy, Cute, and Perfect for Postpartum Life
Caitlin Clark's first March Madness opponent set: Holy Cross up next after First Four blowout
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
There's so much electronic waste in the world it could span the equator – and it's still growing
All 6 officers from Mississippi Goon Squad have been sentenced to prison for torturing 2 Black men
'Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra': First look and what to know about upcoming game