A couple was charged Friday with the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who was playing video games in the bedroom of his Pasadena home in 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Muhammad Abdul-Malik, 38, and Teraeja Laquanna Flemmings, 31, are each charged with a count of murder in connection with the Nov. 20, 2021, killing of Iran Moreno.
Abdul-Malik is also facing an allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death, along with one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
He allegedly fired a single gunshot through a window in Moreno’s home in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue from a vacant lot across the street, according to the DA’s office.
Abdul-Malik then got into a getaway vehicle allegedly driven by Flemmings, the DA’s office said.
He is awaiting extradition from Florida, where he is in custody, while Flemmings is set to be arraigned Monday in a Pasadena courtroom, according to the DA’s office.
Flemmings was arrested Wednesday by Pasadena police and has remained behind bars since then in lieu of $2 million bail, jail records show.
The charges come less than a month after the Pasadena Police Department renewed its call for help identifying the shooter and released new details about a female suspect whom they believed to be the getaway driver.
“Newly enhanced surveillance video revealed a partial license plate number QJ117 from the Ford Fusion,” the Police Department said in a previous statement.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the shooting.
“The violence that took this young boy’s life is not only tragic, but also unacceptable and criminal,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement released shortly after the charges were filed. “No family should ever have to endure the heartbreak of losing a child under such horrific circumstances. While we cannot undo this tragedy, we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
If convicted as charged, Abdul-Malik could face up to 53 years to life in state prison, while Flemmings could face a maximum of 25 years to life in state prison, according to the DA’s office.
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