What did Marcus Anthony Eriz do? Road rage shooter convicted in 2021 death of 6-year-old Aiden Leos

On January 25, 2024, 26-year-old Marcus Anthony Eriz of Costa Mesa was found guilty of murder by an Orange County jury in the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Aiden Leos. This reportedly took place during a road rage incident on May 21, 2021, at about 8 am local time, when Leos was headed to kindergarten at Calvary Chapel in Yorba Linda, as per a press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The 6-year-old was in the back seat of his mother's vehicle, which was northbound on the 55 freeway near Chapman Avenue.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office mentioned that Marcus Anthony Eriz was convicted by the jury of one felony count of shooting into an occupied vehicle, one felony count of second-degree murder, and two felony enhancements of the personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death, as per ABC News.

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Marcus Anthony Eriz reportedly fired a Glock handgun at Aiden Leos' mother's car

The press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office stated that Aiden Leos' mother testified during the trial that on May 21, 2021, she had flipped the driver of a Volkswagen Sportswagen off after they cut her off.

NBC News reported that after Aiden's mother did this, Marcus Anthony Eriz fired a Glock handgun at her vehicle in response.

In her January 2024 testimony, Aiden's mother, Joanna Cloonan, recalled her son's final moments. According to KABC-TV, Joanna said:

"I heard a noise that sounded like a big rock hit the car. I heard my son say, 'Ow.' I looked behind me and his head was hanging down."

According to the press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, the 6-year-old's mother stopped the car on the side of the freeway, pulled Aiden out of his car seat, and dialed 911. The child was taken to the Children's Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange County, where he was later pronounced dead.

KABC-TV reported that Joanna Cloonan said:

"I immediately pulled over to the side of the freeway. I attempted to get him out of his car seat. I noticed that he was dying very quickly. I put my hand on his belly. I put him close to my body to try to save his life and I called 911."

The driver of the Volkswagen Sportswagen was identified as 26-year-old Wynne Lee, of Costa Mesa, who is Marcus Anthony Eriz's girlfriend. She was charged with one misdemeanor count of having a concealed firearm in a vehicle and one felony count of accessory after the fact, as per CNN.

As per the press release by the Orange County District Attorney's Office, the California Highway Patrol initiated an extensive manhunt for the shooter all over Southern California and issued a public plea for leads about the suspects' 2018/2019 white Volkswagen Sportswagen.

On June 6, 2021, the couple was apprehended by the California Highway Patrol.

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Marcus Anthony Eriz could be sentenced to 40 years to life in state prison

ABC 7 reported that following Marcus Anthony Eriz's conviction, at a news conference outside the courtroom, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer mentioned that he had informed Aiden Leos' mother, Joanna Cloonan, of the verdict, and she replied to him through text message. District Attorney Spitzer said:

"I wrote 'guilty of murder' and she said 'good, thank you Todd.'"

Marcus' sentence hearing is scheduled for April 12, 2024, and as per the District Attorney's Office, he could face up to 40 years to life in state prison.

“While we will never know what Aiden would have become, we know that the pursuit of justice did not end until his killer was captured and this child murderer was prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Spitzer said.

Marcus Anthony Eriz's girlfriend, Wynne Lee, is out of custody on GPS monitoring after making a $100,000 bail in July 2021. She is currently awaiting trial, and if convicted of all the charges against her, she could receive a maximum sentence of three years in state prison and one year in the Orange County Jail.