Man convicted in south Sacramento homeless camp murder gets 118 years to life in prison
A man convicted last month of first-degree murder and attempted murder for shooting two people at a south Sacramento homeless camp in 2018 has been sentenced to 118 years to life in prison.
Chue Xiong was sentenced Monday morning by Geoffrey Goodman, the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release.
On Oct. 18, 2018, Xiong had approached one victim at a homeless camp near Indian Lane and Wah Avenue, holding that victim at gunpoint while demanding to know where someone else was, the DA’s office said in an earlier news release.
Then, another victim, identified as Mario Perez-Arzola, walked up to Xiong and had apparently calmed him down before Xiong “inexplicably” shot him in the chest, then shot the original victim in the shoulder, authorities said. Perez-Arzola died, and the other victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition, The Sacramento Bee reported at the time based on statements from the Sacramento Police Department. The victim shot in the shoulder survived.
A neighbor who heard the shooting, Jeff Bailey, told The Bee at the time that he heard a series of five of six “quick succession pops” around 4:30 a.m. that day.
Sacramento police arrested Xiong in connection with the shooting within several days and he was booked into jail in late October 2018. The police department described Xiong as a homeless man who had been known to frequent the area of the crime.
Xiong had a prior felony strike offense for a 2016 burglary, and upon conviction had faced a maximum of 150 years to life in prison.
