A man who fatally shot another man during a street brawl in Lancaster nearly six years ago was sentenced this week to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Jurors deliberated about two hours before finding Cedric Burton Jr., 33, guilty Sept. 12 of first-degree murder for the Nov. 29, 2012, slaying of Brandy Houston, according to Deputy District Attorney Ryan Williams.
The panel also found true the special circumstance allegation of lying in wait, along with gun and gang allegations, according to the prosecutor.
The jury was the second to hear the case against Burton. The first jury deadlocked in April, with the majority favoring a guilty verdict.
Three other men—Terrell Terrell Henderson, Randy Sullivan and Joshua Lockett—were sentenced in 2014 to potential life prison terms after being convicted of second-degree murder for Houston’s killing. A state appeals court panel subsequently rejected the defense’s claim that there was insufficient evidence to support their convictions, and the California Supreme Court refused in 2016 to review the case.
The brawl was spurred by an argument between the 21-year-old victim and his live-in girlfriend, who had called her sister for a ride, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Her sister sent Henderson, Sullivan and Lockett to pick her up, and they got into an argument with Houston and his family members, authorities said. The three men left, but promised to return, sheriff’s officials said.
The men later returned with Burton, and a melee erupted in which Burton shot the victim 11 times, authorities said.
Burton was arrested in May 2016 by sheriff’s detectives and has remained in jail since then.
