UPDATE: Ex-Air Force Sgt., Alleged 'Boogaloo' Follower Carrillo Pleads Guilty in Slaying of Federal Officer
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF/BCN) -- A former U.S. Air Force and alleged follower of the Boogaloo Boys movement on Friday changed his plea to guilty in the shooting death of a Federal Protective Service officer and wounding of a second security officer in Oakland in 2020.
Steven Carrillo, 33, entered the guilty plea in federal court in San Francisco for the murder of David Patrick Underwood and attempted murder of the second officer outside of a courthouse as a large protest was happening in downtown Oakland on May 29, 2020.
Santa Cruz resident Carrillo had previously pleaded not guilty in July 2020 to killing Underwood. The change of plea comes in the wake of federal prosecutors agreeing to not seek the death penalty in the case.
Prosecutors say Carrillo had ties to the "boogaloo" movement, a concept embraced by a loose network of gun enthusiasts and militia-style extremists. The group started in alt-right culture on the internet with the belief that there is an impending civil war, according to experts.
Authorities accused Carrillo of fatally shooting Underwood from a white van after developing a plot with Robert Alvin Justus Jr., of Millbrae. The pair is accused of driving to Oakland and taking advantage of the distraction afforded by protesters marching through the city's downtown. Justus drove the van, authorities said.
Carrillo's plea was part of an agreement with federal prosecutors that U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers said she may not accept. If she decides not to accept the agreement, Carrillo can withdraw his guilty plea and will face a trial.
Under the plea agreement, Carrillo faces 41 years in prison for the killing of Underwood and wounding the second officer in Oakland.
"He's a domestic terrorist," Underwood's sister Angela Underwood Jacobs told reporters outside the courthouse following the hearing. She traveled to San Francisco from Southern California for the hearing.
Underwood Jacobs added that Carrillo should be held to a higher standard because he was in the military. She said she hopes Carrillo gets the maximum sentence allowed and for his sentences run consecutively.
Before Carrillo pleaded guilty, Underwood Jacobs addressed the court and said she is a "heartbroken sister."
"I believe my brother should be alive today," she said.
Dircting comments at Carrillo, she said, "Your soul must be dark and empty. Did your country fail you? No, you failed your country. Cowards like you fear true bravery."
A week after the shooting in Oakland, Carrillo allegedly ambushed sheriff's deputies in Santa Cruz County who were responding to a report of a van containing firearms and bomb-making materials. Sgt. Damon Gutzwiller, 38, was killed and several other law enforcement officials were wounded, according to authorities and court records.
Prosecutors in Santa Cruz County charged Carrillo with a slew of felonies, including murder and attempted murder in connection to that killing.
Carrillo pleaded not guilty to Gutzwiller's killing.
Underwood's family has also filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Facebook, claiming the social media platform allowed users to connect to extremist groups and promoted divisive, inflammatory, and untrue content, leading to his slaying.
Underwood Jacobs filed the suit in Alameda County Superior Court.
"We believe and intend to show that Facebook's conduct has led to a rise in extremism throughout the world and acts of real-world violence, including the murder of Officer Underwood," attorney Ted Leopold said in a statement. "It is time that Facebook is finally held accountable for its actions."
Carrillo's sentencing has been set for June 3 at the federal courthouse in San Francisco. If Gonzalez Rogers accepts the agreement, Carrillo will have very limited rights to appeal.
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