Man convicted for 2019 murder at Rancho Cordova birthday party faces 50 years to life
A man has been convicted of murder in a deadly 2019 shooting in Rancho Cordova.
A Sacramento Superior Court jury found 39-year-old Faron Mello guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Kenneth Neal Evans.
Mello shot Evans on Sept. 7, 2019, after a fight broke in the parking lot at a birthday party being held in the 9700 block of Lincoln Village Drive, according to a news release from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office and 2019 statements from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office.
The DA news release said the fight “was a result of threats a result of threats that were made on social media up until the night of the party.”
Evans was shot in the chest and the hand, prosecutors said.
“On the way to the hospital, the victim made a dying declaration naming Mello as the shooter,” the District Attorney’s Office wrote.
Evans died at the hospital. Detectives found and arrested Mello in Medford, Oregon, the following day.
A jury on Tuesday convicted Mello on one count of murder and one of possession of a firearm by a felon.
Mello is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 18. He faces a maximum of 50 years to life, prosecutors said.
This story was originally published December 23, 2021 at 7:38 AM.
