A gang member was sentenced to 25 years to life in state prison on Thursday for the murder of a U.S. Army soldier who was visiting family in Lompoc.
Marlon Brumfield, 22, was shot and killed on September 8, 2019, as he was walking down the street.
Earlier this month, Walter Alexander Morales, 31, pleaded guilty to first degree murder, along with enhancements for committing the crime for the benefit of a criminal street gang and intentionally discharging a firearm causing death.
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Morales was a passenger in a vehicle driven by co-defendant Francisco Gutierrez Ortega, 29, when they spotted Brumfield walking in the area of Ocean and A Streets in Lompoc and mistakenly believed him to be a rival gang member. Morales fired four shots at Brumfield, killing him.
Gutierrez Ortega was arrested just 11 days after the murder, but according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office, Morales fled to Mexico shortly after the shooting. He returned to the area in July 2020 and was arrested.
Gutierrez Ortega previously pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and faces a sentence of 11 years in prison.
