Trial of two gang members in Moreno Valley teen killing expected to start Monday

A jury is expected to be seated Monday for the trial of two reputed gang members accused of killing a teenage girl caught in a hail of bullets the defendants allegedly unleashed on celebrants at a graduation party.

Cayson Lamont Caddell, 19, and Travell Darrell Williams, 23, could face life in prison without parole if convicted of gunning down 15-year-old Brooke Nicole McKinney of Moreno Valley on June 10, 2006.

The defendants are charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder and sentence-enhancing allegations of committing a violent felony for the benefit of a street gang and using a firearm during the commission of a felony.

A third man charged in the case, 25-year-old Cochise Thomas, is slated to be tried separately early next year.

According to the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, on the night of the shooting, the defendants crashed a middle school graduation party being held at a residence in the 24600 block of Freeport Drive in Moreno Valley.

During the party, Caddell and Williams began dancing around a girl whose teenage boyfriend was standing nearby, according to prosecutors. Williams allegedly confronted the young man, telling him he wanted his drink.

Prosecutors allege that during the confrontation, Thomas joined Williams, and the two men continued to harass the teen, who told the defendants he was not a gang member and didn’t want any trouble.

Williams allegedly told Thomas that the boy had said ”(expletive) the Junior Pimp Riders” — the gang with which the defendants are affiliated.

Cochise punched the teen in the face, and the victim bolted out the back of the residence, according to a trial brief.

The defendants allegedly chased him around to the front of the house, where McKinney was gathered with friends.

Prosecutors allege that Caddell and Williams drew pistols from their waistbands and trained them on the fleeing teen, firing 10 shots in his direction.

One of the bullets struck McKinney in the back of the head. The Valley View High School freshman was pronounced dead less than an hour later.

A man inside a neighboring residence was also hit, but the wound was not life-threatening, according to court papers.

Caddell, Cochise and Williams fled the scene and were arrested by sheriff’s investigators over the ensuing weeks, based on witness statements and other evidence, according to the D.A.’s office.

The defendants are being held without bail at the Riverside County jail in downtown Riverside.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

Tags: Brooke Nicole McKinney, Cayson Lamont Caddell, Cochise Thomas, Junior Pimp Riders, moreno valley, Riverside County, riverside county district attorney's office, SWRNN, Travell Darrell Williams, Valley View High School

This entry was posted on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Courts, Crime, Local News, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.