Gang Member Sentenced in Fatal Firebombing

A gang member convicted of murder in a Hawthorne firebombing that killed a 2-year-old boy and a 2-day-old baby and severely burned their mother was sentenced Thursday to 32 years to life in prison.

Caleb Harris, 19, was not eligible for a sentence of life without the possibility of parole because he was a juvenile when the incident occurred two years ago, Deputy Dist. Atty. Val Rose said.

Harris was tried three times before a jury convicted him in July on two counts of murder and one count of arson with the affliction of great bodily harm.

In February 1996, the trial of Harris and another defendant in the case, Dwayne Moore, ended in a hung jury. They were tried again about a year later, and Moore, 25, was convicted and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. A jury’s deliberations about Harris’ involvement ended in a mistrial.

In the third trial, the jury deliberated for about two days before finding Harris guilty.

In January 1995, Moore had an argument with Valerie Rivers, the mother of the two children, over the use of her telephone. Rivers’ boyfriend, who reportedly was a gang member, came to her aid and confronted Moore, who was a member of a rival gang, prosecutors said.