Berkeley Men Convicted Of Gang-Related Murder

OAKLAND, CA — Three reputed gang members were convicted on Wednesday of murder and a fourth was convicted of voluntary manslaughter for the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old man in East Oakland in broad daylight in 2016.

The fatal shooting of Anthony Stevens in the 1400 block of 92nd Avenue at about 10:30 a.m. on July 9, 2016, attracted widespread community attention and Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf attended a news conference three weeks later when police announced the arrests of four of the suspects in the case.

Joining Schaaf at that news conference, Oakland police Lt. Roland Holmgren said the suspects fired multiple shots at Stevens "without regard for the safety of anyone" and said they are members of the Five Kingdom Mafia, which he said is a hybrid gang that conducts operations in Berkeley and Oakland and commits a lot of robberies.

After deliberating for two and a half days, jurors convicted Aoderi Qwai Samad, 25, of Berkeley, of first-degree murder, Anthony Roy Wilson, 27, of Vallejo, and Tyrone Anthony Terrell Jr., 23, who's originally from Berkeley, of second-degree murder and Derrick Lee McFadden, 22, of
Berkeley, of voluntary manslaughter.

Samad, Terrell and Wilson were also convicted of being ex-felons in possession of guns.

A fifth defendant, Kermit Tanner, 23, of Richmond pleaded no contest on Nov. 15 to his role in the shooting and is expected to be released from custody when he's sentenced on March 22. His lawyer said Tanner didn't fire any shots at Stevens.

Samad, Wilson, Terrell and McFadden reacted calmly when the verdict was announced at a packed hearing guarded by six bailiffs but Samad's mother cried loudly.

Stevens' parents appeared to be pleased with the verdict. In her closing argument last week, Alameda County prosecutor Stacie Pettigrew asked jurors to find the four defendants guilty of murder and ridiculed the contention by defense lawyers that the men acted in self-defense when they surrounded and shot Stevens.

Showing jurors photos of the four defendants during the shooting, Pettigrew said, "This is not the picture of self-defense" and said surveillance video footage doesn't show any fear on their faces.
Pettigrew said the four men were "armed and ready to fire" when they approached Stevens, who was alone in his parked car.

Stevens, who had addresses in both San Leandro and Oakland, was armed with a gun but Pettigrew said there's no evidence that he fired it.

Pettigrew said the fatal shooting of Stevens the morning of July 9, 2016, occurred next to a street memorial for Wilson's half-brother, Roderick Tucker, 21, who died after he was shot multiple times in that area at about 7 p.m. the previous night.

No one has been arrested or charged for that shooting.Pettigrew said the motive for the shooting of Stevens was revenge and told jurors, "These defendants went to that area armed and ready to do whatever was necessary and acted with hostility in their hearts."

But Samad's attorney Steven Alpers said the men simply wanted to talk to Stevens "about the situation" and said there's no evidence to show that they believed he was the person who killed Tucker.

Alpers said the shooting occurred only after Stevens appeared to reach for his gun when the men approached the car.

Alpers said the shooting "was not an organized action" and instead was "a random attack on the spur of the moment."

Samad, Wilson, Terrell and McFadden are scheduled to be sentenced on April 19.

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— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock