MARTINEZ — A group of teenagers and young adults charged with murdering a Concord high school student were trying to start an MS-13 subset in Contra Costa County, according to prosecutors.
Last year, the brazen killing of 17-year-old Lawrence Janson outside Olympic Continuation High School shocked the local community, even more so when authorities announced the alleged culprits were associated with the notorious Los Angeles gang MS-13. Prosecutors say Janson’s killing was one of several crimes committed by the group to impress older members of the gang living in the Bay Area.
But none of the six charged with murdering Janson — and with a shooting near Ellis Lake Park in Concord a month earlier — are believed to be actual members of MS-13. And local gang experts say the gang has not gained a footing in Contra Costa County, though active members reside in San Francisco, Oakland and other parts of Northern California.
New details in the case have been recently made public as two of the defendants — Kristhiam Uceda, 21, and Bryan Chachagua, 19 — have an ongoing preliminary hearing expected to wrap up next week. A third defendant, Moises Urquilla, 18, recently had his case transferred from juvenile to adult court. He faces charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit both crimes.
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According to prosecutors, the six defendants were trying to get the attention of older MS-13 members in San Francisco when they began fighting with a group of Norteño gang members in Concord and east Contra Costa County. One night in mid-October 2017, they shot a BB gun at a group of rival gang members, then retrieved a .22 caliber gun and returned to the scene.
They recorded what happened next on a video that was later obtained by police. The video is taken from inside a moving vehicle and shows no faces, but a voice can be heard talking about going to shoot “some guys in red,” a color associated with Norteños. Shots then ring out, followed by a taunt. Prosecutors say Uceda was the triggerman, and that a woman at nearby Ellis Lake Park was shot in the leg.
After that shooting, the group allegedly traveled to San Francisco to show the video to the older MS-13 members. A month later, the defendants got into an argument with Janson and two friends outside of Olympic High.
A member of the group first fired his gun into the air, then they left and called in a second car for backup. Both cars returned to the area, where Janson remained with his friends.
According to the criminal complaint, Uceda yelled “MS-13, (expletive)!” as he fired several shots at the group, fatally wounding Janson.
Next week, a judge is expected to rule whether there is enough evidence to order Uceda and Chachagua — believed to be in the “backup” car during Janson’s killing — to stand trial on the murder charge. Urquilla’s case, meanwhile, is essentially starting from Square One now that he has been transferred to adult court.