Fresno man sentenced for brutal murder. He killed a father over pot and baseball hats
Convicted murderer Damone Kiki Mayberry Jr. will spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole, Fresno County Judge Jonathan B. Conklin ruled Thursday.
Mayberry, 30, was found guilty in October of first degree murder for robbing and killing Lorenzo McCray, 50. Prosecutor Nathan Lambert called the crime an “execution-style” killing. Police said Mayberry shot McCray in the back of the head while in the victim’s apartment.
“This is a tragic murder,” Lambert said. “Lorenzo McCray was killed for a Mason jar of marijuana and some used baseball hats.”
Mayberry declined to say anything during his sentencing. His attorney Richard Beshwate asked Conklin for leniency, but the judge wasn’t swayed. He agreed with the prosecution. The crime was tragic.
“Not only is there a loss of life here,” the judge said. “But he (Mayberry) is such a young man and this sentence will require him to serve the rest of his life in prison.”
During his trial, police said Mayberry and his accomplice, Gypsy Hall, entered McCray’s tiny southeast Fresno studio apartment in the early morning hours of Sept. 18, 2018 for one purpose: to steal drugs and money.
Hall, 30, had bought drugs from McCray before. So when she knocked on his security door, he recognized her and let her in. What McCray didn’t know is Mayberry was lurking just outside with a red bandanna around his face and a silver handgun in his hand, Lambert said.
McCray, who was a father of seven children, will be missed by his family, his sister Kathy Oguinn Silva told the judge.
“God was not ready for him yet,” she said through tears. “He was a good person. He was my baby brother and I loved him.”
Silva and other family members were satisfied that Mayberry will spend the rest of his life in prison.
“Justice is served,” she said.
In July, Hall pleaded no contest to a charge of voluntary manslaughter and first degree residential robbery. She will be sentenced on Jan. 14.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 3:37 PM.
