Racism and police brutality came back to haunt Antioch police on Monday, as four murder suspects struck a plea deal eliminating possible murder convictions and knocking their charges down to manslaughter and other lesser charges.
Superior Court Judge David Goldstein accepted the plea deal Monday in Contra Costa County Superior Court in Martinez, after all four men changed their previous pleas from not guilty pleas to no contest.
Terryonn Pugh, 23, Eric Windom, 23, Keyshawn McGee, 25, and Trent Allen, 23, were all charged in the killing of Arnold Hawkins and the attempted killing of Aaron Patterson, both of Antioch, on March 9, 2021. All four faced 25 years to life in prison, if convicted.
Then came the Antioch police scandal , in which federal and local investigators uncovered widespread acts of racism and brutality in the Antioch Police Department — including during the arrests of the four Black men involved in the plea deal.
Their attorneys challenged the charges based on the relatively new California Racial Justice Act, which allows suspects recourse if their arrest was based on race, ethnicity, or national origin.