Man charged with murder in road rage shooting
SANTA ANA — A Southern California man was charged Tuesday with murder in a road rage shooting that killed a 6yearold boy on a local freeway last month, stunning the region and attracting national attention.
Orange County prosecutors charged Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, with murder in the death of Aiden Leos, shooting at an occupied vehicle and with sentencing enhancements. Eriz’s girlfriend, Wynne Lee, was charged with being an accessory after the fact and illegally carrying a concealed firearm.
Authorities said they believe Lee was driving the car and that Eriz fired the shot that killed Aiden while his mother was driving the boy to kindergarten on May 21 in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles.
“With respect to the charges against both, I absolutely am convinced they’re rock solid,” Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters.
The couple’s Tuesday arraignment was postponed to June 18 and a judge set bail at $2 million for Eriz and $500,000 for Lee pending that hearing.
Eriz could face 40 years to life in prison if convicted on all counts. Lee faces up to three years in prison and one year in county jail.
The case drew widespread outrage in the county of 3 million people. At least $500,000 in rewards had been offered from around the U.S. for information leading to an arrest and authorities said they received hundreds of tips.
According to accounts from Aiden’s mother and witnesses who stopped to help her after the shooting, 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.