Man found guilty in shooting death outside Hollywood nightclub
A 23-year-old man was found guilty Wednesday of fatally shooting a man twice in the head outside a Hollywood night club last year, authorities said.
A jury took less than a day to find Robert Earl Thomas III guilty of first-degree murder. They also found him guilty of gang and gun allegations, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
Thomas shot and killed 19-year-old Andre Lowe outside the Empire Club in the 1700 block of North Cahuenga Boulevard around 2 a.m. in January 2013. The shooting, which happened as Lowe and two friends were walking to their car in the club’s parking lot, was captured on videotape.
A man claiming to be a Carver Park gang member approached Lowe’s group. When someone in the group said they do not participate in gang activities, the man began hitting them. During the beating, Thomas walked up to Lowe and shot him twice in the back of the head, according to the district attorney’s office.
As Thomas attempted to flee the scene in his Porsche Cayenne, he ran over Lowe’s body. He was arrested several days later in Las Vegas.
Thomas is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 2 and faces up to 50 years to life in state prison.
For breaking news in Los Angeles and the Southland, follow @Caitlin__Owens, or email her at caitlin.owens@latimes.com.
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