Marcus Eriz, 26, faces a prison sentence of 40 years to life
A California man who shot and killed a 6-year-old during a road rage incident in 2021 was convicted of murder on Thursday.
Marcus Eriz, 26, of Costa Mesa was also convicted of numerous felony-level charges, including shooting into an occupied vehicle, according to a report from KTLA5 .
“The heartbreak of a parent losing a child is so overwhelming that no word exists to describe it,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer after the verdict was handed down in court.
“The short, happy life of Aiden Leos is a life interrupted, abruptly ended by a bullet that pierced Aiden’s heart,” he added. “The bullet not only killed a little 6-year-old boy; it ripped a hole in the heart of all of Orange County.”
In June 2021, Aiden Leos was riding in the rear of his mother’s car as she was driving when she was cut off by Eriz’s girlfriend Wynne Lee, while he was in the passenger seat.
The child’s mother, Joanna Cloonan, grew angry and raised her middle finger at their car. Eriz immediately grabbed a Glock 17 from the back pocket of the driver’s seat and opened fire on the mother’s car, according to prosecutors.