Defendant in MS-13-linked fatal shooting to be tried as an adult

Case against alleged shooter still pending

MARTINEZ >> A then-17-yearold who was one of seven alleged budding MS-13 members arrested and charged in connection with a Concord teen in 2017 will be tried in adult court, a Contra Costa superior court judge ruled.

Kevin Gomez, 20, now is facing adult charges thanks to a ruling by Judge Leslie Landau. Gomez and six others, mostly teens, were arrested and charged in connection with the killing of 17-year- old Lawrence Janson, a student at Olympic High in Concord.

Of the seven co- defendants, five have taken plea deals. Only two of the defendants have pending cases: Gomez and the alleged shooter, Kristhiam Uceda, 22, of Concord. The exact role that Gomez is alleged to have played in the crime is not spelled out in public court records.

According to eyewitness accounts, Uceda yelled out the gang’s name, followed by an expletive, and opened fire at Janson, who ran a short distance and hopped a fence before collapsing from the mortal wound. Authorities allege that several defendants were involved in a fight with Janson’s friends at the school earlier that day.

Aside from Uceda, only one of the defendants was an adult at the time of the killing: 20-year- old Bryan Sermeno- Chachagua, who was 18 at the time. He was present for Janson’s killing and allegedly helped hide the gun afterward. Through a plea deal on an assault charge, he was sentenced to eight years in state prison, court records show.

Additiona lly, Moises Urquilla, 19, accepted 17 years in state prison on assault and gun charges. Urquilla was accused of driving with Uceda to the site of the shooting, and being present for the fight earlier that day. Urquilla will be eligible for a sentence reduction of up to 50% with good behavior.

Three others, all lesser-involved defendants who were underage at the time, accepted plea deals with terms ranging from two to 11 years but won’t be incarcerated past the age of 25 because their cases were prosecuted in juvenile court, records show. Juvenile confinement also theoretically places a greater emphasis on rehabilitation than adult prison, although the California Youth Authority has a reputation of being one of the harshest places to do time across the state.

According to authorities, the group was among a number of Contra Costa residents who wanted to start a chapter of the notorious gang based in Concord and were hoping to attract the attention of an established clique of the gang in San Francisco. But the description offered through police testimony of the loosely organized group pales in comparison to MS-13’s reputation as an international gang known for ruthless machete murders and a harshly enforced code of silence; several of the defendants allegedly confessed shortly after their arrests, one even claiming he wanted to associate with MS-13 to get back at his dad, who was a rival gang affiliate.

A month before Janson was shot, Uceda allegedly shot a woman in the leg at Ellis Lake Park in Concord, after someone in his car allegedly pointed out a person wearing rival gang colors. Someone allegedly showed video of that shooting to an MS-13 member in San Francisco.

A month after that, in November 2017, the defendants got into an argument with Janson and two friends outside of Olympic High, police said. Uceda and several others allegedly returned with a firearm. Police claim that Uceda fired several times, striking Janson at least once in the back.

“I’ve been hit,” Janson told his friend as they continued to run, according to police testimony. He died later that day.