Suspect sought in California boy’s road-rage killing
Reward offer reaches $310,000 after the death of a 6-year-old child. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner with insight on 'Fox & Friends First.'
The California couple arrested in connection with the road rage shooting that killed 6-year-old Aiden Leos made a brief appearance virtually in court on Tuesday and had their bail provisionally set at $2 million for 24-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz and $500,000 for 23-year-old Wynne Lee.
Aiden was shot while on his way to kindergarten on May 21 in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles.
Eriz was charged with murder and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, both of which are felonies, according to a criminal complaint. Lee was charged with accessory after the fact, a felony, and concealing a firearm in a vehicle, a misdemeanor, the document states.
Wynne Lee, 23, and Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, have been arrested in the death of a 6-year-old boy in what authorities have called a road rage incident last month on a California freeway. (Orange County, CA)
Eriz's attorney objected in court to a YouTube video of the proceeding that is streamed online, saying that "the extent to which YouTube is able to reach the world is unprecedented" and it could create safety concerns for his client.
Orange County Superior Court Judge Larry Yellin said the YouTube stream is the reality of "a public access court through the internet," which was started at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
"We're not treating Mr. Eriz any differently," Yellin said Tuesday. "While I do recognize that there are probably more people watching this proceeding than many others, I'm not treating him differently or anything about this case differently."
Eriz's alleged public Instagram profile shows a penchant for showing off guns, including a shotgun, revolver and a rifle.
The Instagram account operated by Marcus Eriz, 24, features several videos of him shooting firearms. ((Instagram / marcus_eriz13a))
Marcus Eriz has multiple images of firearms and videos of him firing handguns and rifles on his social media accounts. ((Instagram / marcus_eriz13))
According to accounts from Aiden's mother and witnesses who stopped to help her, another car cut her off and she responded with a hand gesture and the car slipped in behind her and someone inside fired a shot through the rear of her car.
California Highway Patrol officials have said that the road rage violence stemmed from "a perceived unsafe lane change."
Lee was believed to be driving the car and Eriz was in the front seat and is suspected to be the gunman, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said Monday.
CALIFORNIA AUTHORITIES VOW 'JUSTICE' AGAINST COUPLE ACCUSED OF 6-YEAR-OLD'S ROAD RAGE MURDER
According to FOX 11 Los Angeles, family members told police Aiden's last words were believed to have been: "Mommy, my tummy hurts."
The couple, who were living together as boyfriend and girlfriend, were arrested Sunday in Costa Mesa in Orange County. Authorities found a gun and car believed to have been used in the shooting but they weren’t at the arrest site, highway patrol Assistant Chief Don Goodbrand told reporters Monday.
At least $500,000 in rewards had been offered from around the U.S. for information leading to an arrest in the case, authorities said.
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Spitzer said the little boy killed doing what so many do every day — ride on the freeways — gripped Orange County, population about 3 million.
"It’s because it could have happened to any one of us," he said.
"We’ve all gotten upset at other motorists, other motorists have been upset at us," Spitzer said. "I’ve thrown some gestures about myself. But it’s never come to a situation of violence and certainly not in my realm or your realm to the loss of a life."
Fox News' Corbett Riner and Louis Casiano contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.
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