Reputed Gang Leader Gets 3 Life Terms For San Leandro Tattoo Party Murders
SAN LEANDRO (CBS SF) -- A reputed gang leader was sentenced Thursday to three consecutive terms of life in prison without parole for his role in a shooting after a tattoo party in San Leandro three years ago that left three people dead and three others wounded.
Anthony Perry, a 24-year-old Oakland man who prosecutors said is the head of the Oakland-based Mob Squad, was one of three alleged gang members who were convicted on April 18 of three counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder for the shooting. It occurred in a parking lot outside a warehouse in the 2600 block of Alvarado Street in the early morning hours of Oct. 2, 2011.
Also convicted were reputed associates Paul Stevenson, 23, of Oakland, and Aaron Stewart, 22, of Fairfield.
In addition to the murder and attempted murder counts, the three men were convicted of the special circumstance of committing multiple murders, an outcome mandating that they all face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Prosecutor Jimmie Wilson told jurors during the trial that the shooting was "a gang-related assassination" and the alleged Mob Squad members targeted a member of the rival FE gang because they were upset about a confrontation with the other group at a San Francisco nightclub several months earlier.
Wilson said the instigator of the shooting was Perry, who he said is the leader of the Mob Squad gang and is known as "A-1" and "A-Uno."
Wilson said Perry, Stewart and Stevenson saw 23-year-old Joshua Alford of Oakland at the tattoo party and decided to kill him because he belonged to the FE gang and had been present at the earlier confrontation in San Francisco, even though he hadn't been directly involved.
After the tattoo party ended, Wilson alleged, Perry, Stewart and Stevenson all armed themselves with guns, surrounded a green Ford Explorer that had been blocked from leaving the warehouse's parking lot by another car and opened fire.
In addition to Alford, the shooting claimed the lives of 16-year-old Leneasha Northington, a student at San Leandro High School, and 19-year-old Shanice Kiel of San Francisco, who had been accepted at San Francisco State University.
Three other people who were inside the Ford Explorer were wounded and another person was uninjured.
A fourth man, Stanley Turner, 21, of Oakland, faced the same charges as the other three defendants, but last December he entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. The deal called for him to be found guilty of a lesser charge and receive a lighter sentence in return for his testimony against the other three men.
Darryl Stallworth, who represented Perry during the trial, told jurors that he believed there were only two shooters in the incident and Perry wasn't one of them.
Stevenson's lawyer, Alex Selvin, argued that Perry and Stewart were the only shooters in the case and claimed there's no reliable evidence that Stevenson fired any shots.
Thomas Broome, who represented Stewart, said Stewart didn't fire any shots because his gun jammed.
Perry fired Stallworth after he was convicted and then represented himself.
Perry filed a motion for a new trial, accusing Wilson of prosecutorial misconduct and alleging that Stallworth, who formerly worked with Wilson in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, conspired with Wilson to get him convicted.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Kevin Murphy denied Perry's motion after he made an impassioned 30-minute argument. Murphy then sentenced Perry.
Stevenson was sentenced to three consecutive terms of life in prison without parole last week.
Stewart is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 24. Stewart is now represented by Al Thews because Broome suffered medical problems after the trial.
© Copyright 2014 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
