After boy stomped to death on basketball court over mistaken identity, gang members convicted of murder in San Jose

Two California gang members were found guilty of first-degree murder after authorities said they stomped to death an eighth-grader they wrongly accused of belonging to a rival gang.

A jury returned the verdict Tuesday against 20-year-old Jacob Lynch and 19-year-old Clemente Salas after a 10-week trial, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

Both could face life in prison without the possibility of parole when sentenced.

The two men were arrested along with six others in 2012 after 14-year-old Heriberto Reyes and his older brother were attacked on a basketball court in San Jose. Reyes died three days later.

Five other attackers previously pleaded guilty to lesser charges after cooperating with the investigation.

Another gang member was found guilty of assaulting the victim’s brothers and two others and could face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.

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