SAN BERNARDINO, CA - A man in his sixties is facing the death penalty after being found guilty by a jury of his peers of first-degree murder in the slaying of three people in 2020.
Eric Otta White, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to the killings of his girlfriend, Kavina Madison Brooks, her twin sister, Kavona Kimberly Brooks-Lee, and her brother-in-law, Kenneth Lee, PEOPLE reported. White was found guilty on April 30, nearly six years after the incident.
A jury will recommend sentencing and the presiding judge, Cheryl Kersey, will either accept the jury's recommendation or issue her own sentence.
Court records state that White shot his girlfriend, her daughter, her sister, and her brother-in-law within minutes on August 16, 2020. He fatally shot Brooks and Lee and injured Brooks' daughter, Zanorra Brooks Killebrew. Brooks-Lee died after being hospitalized and placed on life support.
White changed his clothes and fled to Las Vegas following the incident. It wasn't until several weeks later that police located and arrested him, as reported by the Redlands Police Department.
Brooks Killebrew, who was 14 years old at the time of the attack, testified during White's trial and claimed that the shooting occurred after Brooks touched White's karaoke speaker. She alleged that White disapproved of Brooks' "lenient" parenting style.
Brooks Killebrew also told the court that the day before the shooting, her mother told White he could move out and she would replace him with "someone else."
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Justin Crocker argued that White felt a "loss of control," leading to the shooting. White's attorney, however, said that his client was diagnosed with mental illnesses and had previously been treated at a psychiatric care facility. The attorney, James Rankin Gass, argued for second-degree murder convictions due to White's alleged mental health history.
Forensic and clinical psychologist John Matthew Fabian found that White had a schizoaffective disorder with a history of bipolar and depressive episodes. He claimed in court that at the time of the shooting, White was reportedly not taking his medication.
The victims' loved ones were seen crying when the verdicts were read, KTLA reported. Alicia Sutton, Brooks-Lee's daughter, had few words after the verdict, saying, "Sad, but finally." Due to the special-circumstances allegation of multiple first-murders, he is eligible for the death penalty.
Eric Otta White, 63, was found guilty of first-degree murder in connection to the killings of his girlfriend, Kavina Madison Brooks, her twin sister, Kavona Kimberly Brooks-Lee, and her brother-in-law, Kenneth Lee, PEOPLE reported. White was found guilty on April 30, nearly six years after the incident.
A jury will recommend sentencing and the presiding judge, Cheryl Kersey, will either accept the jury's recommendation or issue her own sentence.
Court records state that White shot his girlfriend, her daughter, her sister, and her brother-in-law within minutes on August 16, 2020. He fatally shot Brooks and Lee and injured Brooks' daughter, Zanorra Brooks Killebrew. Brooks-Lee died after being hospitalized and placed on life support.
White changed his clothes and fled to Las Vegas following the incident. It wasn't until several weeks later that police located and arrested him, as reported by the Redlands Police Department.
Brooks Killebrew, who was 14 years old at the time of the attack, testified during White's trial and claimed that the shooting occurred after Brooks touched White's karaoke speaker. She alleged that White disapproved of Brooks' "lenient" parenting style.
Brooks Killebrew also told the court that the day before the shooting, her mother told White he could move out and she would replace him with "someone else."
During the trial, Deputy District Attorney Justin Crocker argued that White felt a "loss of control," leading to the shooting. White's attorney, however, said that his client was diagnosed with mental illnesses and had previously been treated at a psychiatric care facility. The attorney, James Rankin Gass, argued for second-degree murder convictions due to White's alleged mental health history.
Forensic and clinical psychologist John Matthew Fabian found that White had a schizoaffective disorder with a history of bipolar and depressive episodes. He claimed in court that at the time of the shooting, White was reportedly not taking his medication.
The victims' loved ones were seen crying when the verdicts were read, KTLA reported. Alicia Sutton, Brooks-Lee's daughter, had few words after the verdict, saying, "Sad, but finally." Due to the special-circumstances allegation of multiple first-murders, he is eligible for the death penalty.
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