Suspects in fatal freeway shooting of Costa Mesa 6-year-old to stand trial
Two suspects involved in a road-rage incident that resulted in the death of a Costa Mesa 6-year-old have been ordered by a judge to stand trial.
Marcus Anthony Eriz, 25, and his girlfriend, Wynne Lee, 23, both of Costa Mesa, were arrested in June last year in connection with the death of Aiden Leos, a child who was killed in a shooting on the 55 freeway in Orange on May 21, 2021. Leos had been riding in the backseat of his mother’s car en route to a kindergarten class in Yorba Linda.
Eriz, who is being held without bail, has been charged with murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle, both felonies, as well as felony enhancements for causing great bodily injury and death through the personal use of a firearm. If convicted on all counts, Eriz could spend 40 years to life in state prison.
Lee, the driver of the car from which Eriz is alleged to have fired the fatal shot, faces misdemeanors of being an accessory after the fact and concealing a weapon in a vehicle. Lee would face a maximum of three years in state prison and one year in county jail if convicted on all charges.
Marcus Anthony Eriz, 24, has been charged with murder, and Wynne Lee, 23, has been charged with accessory to murder after the fact. The suspects were arrested in Costa Mesa on Sunday.
“A monster with a gun murdered a little boy on his way to kindergarten — because he was cut off on the freeway,” Orange County Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer said in a statement. “The callousness of this crime is unspeakable, but the fact that this couple continued to hide out in plain sight knowing full well they killed a 6-year-old child while Aiden’s grieving parents pleaded with the killers to come forward is unforgivable.”
The arraignment for Eriz and Lee is scheduled for Tuesday, April 12 at 9 a.m. at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana.
Spitzer had called on those responsible for Leos’ death to turn themselves in. Prior to the couple being taken into custody on June 6, public officials and the surrounding community rallied to raise substantial funds for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
“I made it very clear they needed to turn themselves in and I would take that into consideration,” Spitzer added. “And they continued to hide.”
All the latest on Orange County from Orange County.
Get our free TimesOC newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Daily Pilot.
