Jury begins deliberations in Sacramento K Street mass shooting murder trial
Jurors began deliberations Monday afternoon in the murder trial of Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton, the surviving defendants in Sacramento’s deadliest-ever mass shooting, in Sacramento Superior Court.
Jurors heard days of argument at the end of the more than two-month-long case to determine whether Martin and Payton should be convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of Yamile Martinez, 21; Johntaya Alexander, 21; and Melinda Davis, 57, during the April 3, 2022, massacre on K Street in downtown Sacramento.
The seven-woman, five-man jury can also consider voluntary manslaughter charges in the women’s killings and will weigh weapons charges connected to the deadly shootings.
Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton had no choice but to claim self-defense in the deadly K Street mass shootings, a Sacramento prosecutor argued earlier Monday.
“They were firing weapons they weren’t allowed to possess; weapons they carried for protection. Protection from who? Gang rivals and gang conflict,” Sacramento County Deputy District Attorney Brad Ng told jurors Monday as Martin and Payton’s murder trial concluded in Sacramento Superior Court.
Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchessi, 32; and Davazia Turner, 29, who authorities believe were involved in the exchange of gunfire, were killed.
Thirteen others were wounded in what became the city’s deadliest mass shooting.
“They’re not motivated by fear; they’re motivated by animus,” Ng told jurors of Martin and Payton. “They escalated the terror on K Street and now, they’re looking for an excuse. They escalated at every opportunity. These are gang members who were arming themselves. These two men are guilty of murder.”
Defense attorneys Reid Kingsbury and Linda Parisi argued that self-defense and survival motivated the men’s decision to shoot in response to what they said was a spontaneous burst of gunfire triggered by Harris.
“Mr. Martin did not create the chaos, he became part of it because of what Mr. Harris was doing,” Parisi said Monday.
Defense attorneys repeatedly disputed prosecutor’s claims of a gang battle, instead accusing Harris of firing the first shot that killed Payton’s friend, Davanta Turner, and ignited the firefight.
“It’s a spontaneous action. There’s no appointment with danger,” Parisi said. “Self-defense is the fundamental human right to survive. It doesn’t have a pause button; it’s not in slow-motion,” Parisi continued, a reference to hours of security camera footage of the K Street scene presented at trial.
Prosecutors Ng and Deputy DA Megan Eixenberger dismissed the claims, arguing Payton, Martin and the others involved in the shooting shared gang histories and bad blood that spilled over onto K and 10th streets at closing time.
“They’re not just wrong on the law; they’re wrong on the facts,” Ng said at one point, of the defense attorneys. Ng again showed video of Payton, Martin, Turner and others gathered at 10th and K in the minutes before the shooting started.
Those rivalries, bravado and score-settling led to the carnage, Ng argued Monday.
“They went back to the corner to impose their will on their gang rivals, and they stole the right to live of Ms. Alexander, Ms. Martinez, and Ms. Davis, fueled by the need to command respect from fear,” Ng said. “The only logical conclusion is this: that Mr. Payton and Mr. Martin are guilty of three counts of murder.”
Deliberations resume Tuesday in Sacramento Superior Court.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 3:04 PM.
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