Jurors in a Contra Costa County courtroom were shown a chilling Ring-camera video today that prosecutors say captures the moment a Vallejo man pulled a gun, chased down, and fatally shot 27-year-old Richard Morello Jr. outside a southeast Antioch home. Morello, who performed under the name $mooth, was pronounced dead about 15 minutes after midnight on Aug. 25, 2025, and left behind a wife and two young children. In opening statements, the prosecutor did not soften the blow, warning jurors: “You are about to see a man getting shot to death.”
What jurors saw
Prosecutors played footage from a neighbor’s surveillance system that they say shows a man identified by police as Jesus Soto pulling a pistol, chasing Morello, and firing at least twice after Morello fell to the ground. The audio on the clip captured what Soto reportedly said immediately after the shots, and prosecutors used the video to walk jurors step by step through the state’s version of the timeline.
As reported by The Mercury News, the Ring footage and related evidence sat at the center of the prosecution’s opening narrative.
Arrest and search
Stockton police arrested 37-year-old Jesus Soto two days after the Aug. 25 shooting, following an Antioch investigation that led officers to execute a search warrant at a Vallejo address, where they seized evidence. Authorities also collected items from a vehicle Soto was in when he was taken into custody.
Local coverage of the arrest and warrant work was detailed by CBS Bay Area…