Mistrial declared in deadly 2022 Sacramento K Street shooting, attorney says

Jurors could not come to a unanimous decision over whether the defendants in Sacramento’s deadliest shooting are guilty of murder, leading to a mistrial on Tuesday.

One of the defense attorneys representing the two men accused of the April 3, 2022, shootout that left six people dead and 12 more injured along downtown’s K Street corridor confirmed the hung jury over the three murder charges.

While six people were killed in the gunbattle, only three are considered victims because of a California law that states anyone who participates in a shooting that injures or kills someone is not a victim.

Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton are the two surviving defendants who faced murder and weapons charges. Prosecutors dropped first-degree murder charges, but jurors could still not come to a verdict on the other charges, including second-degree murder.

The two were, however, convicted on their weapons charges for being felons in possession of firearms.

It will now be up to prosecutors to decide the next steps on whether to pursue a retrial.

“Unfortunately, the jury was unable to reach a verdict, and a mistrial has been declared,” a statement from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office read. “We will make a decision in the near future as to our next steps, which will include a decision to retry the case. As this case is still pending, we will have no further comment.”

Defense attorney reacts to mistrial

Defense attorney Linda Parisi, who represents Dandrae Martin, praised the jury after the mistrial for what she called a “just result.”

“You know, sitting on a jury is a very difficult assignment, and it is hard to stay true to your personal convictions, because on the one hand, we ask that they work as a group, talk together, deliberate, and then when it gets down to voting, we say, vote your conscience, vote individually. And so that’s what this jury did,” she said. “And so they should be very proud. I’m very proud of our system, that it works when jurors are able to vote their convictions.”

She said the parties will return to court in the first week of October and she expects the DA to retry the case. Jurors would be expected to consider second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter or self-defense, she said.

Asked if the case should be retried, Parisi said, “There really is a lot of doubt in this case.”

“I am committed to the idea that I do not believe they can overcome their burden to prove that Mr. Martin did not act in self-defense,” she said. “There was a lot of chaos out there that night, but it is clear. The one thing we do know is that Mr. Martin did not start this fight, and he simply reacted to the circumstances.”

The defendants face up to three years in state prison over the gun convictions, she said.

This is a developing story. Stay with KCRA 3 as we continue to gather details.

Sacramento K Street shooting trial liveblogs

Since April 21, prosecutors have been trying to convince jurors that the shooting was premeditated and that a gang-related standoff led to a fatal confrontation between rival gangs in what is considered “neutral” gang territory.

The defense attorneys, however, argued that friends were simply hanging out until a conversation escalated into gunfire. They also named one of the slain gunmen, Sergio Harris, as the instigator who provoked violence.

Updates from June 16 and afterward

Updates from May 12 to June 15

Updates from the beginning of the trial

The victims in the K Street shooting

The three victims are 21-year-old Johntaya “JoJo” Alexander, 57-year-old Melinda Davis, and 21-year-old Yamile Martinez-Andrade.

Sergio Harris, DeVazia Turner and Joshua Hoye-Luchessi also died in the shooting, but California law does not consider people who participated in gunbattles that result in death or injury to be victims.

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