Man Gets 50 Years to Life for San Leandro Fatal Shooting

A man who claims that he acted in self-defense was sentenced today to 50 years to life in prison for fatally shooting another man outside an apartment complex in unincorporated San Leandro four years ago in the aftermath of a dispute over a potential marijuana sale. Leondre Paige, 26, was convicted on Nov. 12 of first-degree murder for the shooting death of Daniel Bradford in the 1200 block of Kentwood Lane in the Ashland area of San Leandro at about 7:15 p.m. on June 14, 2011.

But Paige said today that, “I acted in complete self-defense” and asked Alameda County Superior Court Judge Jon Rolefson to dismiss his conviction or at least reduce it to the lesser charge of manslaughter. However, Rolefson denied Paige’s verbal motion as well as a formal motion for a new trial that defense attorney Al Wax filed after Paige’s conviction and argued for earlier in today’s hearing.

In their closing arguments in Paige’s trial in November, Wax and prosecutor Butch Ford agreed on the facts of the case but disagreed about Paige’s culpability. Ford said Paige should be convicted of first-degree murder but Wax argued that he should either be acquitted or only convicted of manslaughter. Ford said Paige “brought a gun to a fistfight” and deliberately killed Bradford by firing six shots at him, hitting him four times. But Wax said Paige should be found not guilty because he was defending the life of his friend, 26-year-old Dante Burch of Concord, with whom Bradford, who lived in unincorporated San Leandro, was fighting. Wax said Paige opened fire because Burch “was in imminent danger of suffering great bodily injury or being killed” by Bradford, who he said had just “sucker-punched” Burch in a confrontation at the apartment complex. But Ford said Burch wasn’t in immediate danger because Bradford had only punched him once and there is no evidence that Bradford was armed.

According to the evidence in Paige’s trial, the shooting was the aftermath of a quarrel that started at about 3 p.m. that day when Burch’s girlfriend, Alexis Johns, asked Bradford’s brother, Carlos Bradford, about buying some marijuana but the brother told her he didn’t have any marijuana to sell. Burch became upset with Carlos Bradford and the two men got into a fight.

An unknown person separated Burch and Bradford but Burch vowed to return with his “boys” and returned a short time later with several friends, including Paige, who was armed with a gun, Ford said. Burch and Carlos Bradford resumed fighting but then Daniel Bradford drove up to the scene and joined the fray, which was watched by about 20 people, by punching Burch, Ford said. Paige testified that he was prepared to back up Burch in the fight but when he saw how big Daniel Bradford was he decided to shoot him instead of fighting him. Ford said Paige pulled a gun from his waistband and fired six shots at Bradford, four of which struck him. Bradford was pronounced dead at Eden Medical Center a short time later.

Burch was also charged with murder in connection with Bradford’s death even though he didn’t fire any shots because investigators believe his actions set off the chain of events that led to the death. Burch was scheduled to stand trial with Paige but in November he pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and agreed to testify against Paige. If a judge determines that Burch’s testimony was true, his conviction will be reduced to voluntary manslaughter and he will be sentenced to 9 years in state prison.

Bradford’s uncle, Steve Robinson, said today that Bradford “was a very good young man who was not looking for trouble and only went to find out what happened to his brother.” Robinson said Bradford, who had a young son, “had a future in front of him but his life was senselessly taken by the act of someone else.” Bradford’s mother, Sonya Turner, told Paige, “You took my son away from me and it hurts. It’s not funny, it’s no joke and my son is gone.”

Paige is also charged with murder and the special circumstance of committing a murder during the course of a robbery for the shooting death of 35-year-old Eric Lamont Franklin in the 700 block of Eagle Avenue in Alameda in a separate incident on Sept. 11, 2010. He faces a trial in that case later this year.

By Bay City News

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