A 23-year-old rapper was convicted Tuesday, Oct. 13, of fatally shooting a rival in his Anaheim home, a killing he initially falsely claimed was the result of a drive-by shooting.
An Orange County Superior Court jury deliberated for more than a day before finding Zachary Pickrell guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 shooting death of 17-year-old Danilo Ashton Arauz Jr. in a studio at his home.
Pickrell’s attorney, Adam Vining of the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, told jurors that the shooting was an accident and that Pickrell didn’t know the gun was loaded. Jurors opted not to convict Pickrell of a more serious charge of second-degree murder.
Pickrell and Arauz grew up in the same neighborhood, but “claimed” different blocks, leading to a dispute between the two of them, according to testimony. Pickrell “claimed” the 1700 block of Holbrook Lane, where he lived, while Arauz released an album titled “Trappin’ Out of the 1800,” referencing a different block.
The two seemed to have set their differences aside when Pickrell invited Arauz and another friend to his home on Sept. 5, 2021. Pickrell, Arauz and the other friend were hanging out in an upstairs home studio, according to testimony, while Pickrell’s mother was downstairs.
The three were talking about a song Arauz had released that day called “Seeing Red,” according to testimony. Snippets of video, shown during the trial, captured them handling a gun, which the attorneys told jurors they had passed between themselves.
Pickrell pointed the gun at Arauz’s head and pulled the trigger, an act that the prosecution argued was inherently dangerous to human life. He initially lied to police, according to testimony, by claiming Arauz had been struck by gunfire in a drive-by shooting near the home.
Arauz was pronounced dead four days later in a hospital from injuries sustained in the shooting.
Senior Deputy District Attorney Juliet Oliver told jurors that the killing was “a direct illustration of how toxic and destructive and murderous ego can be,” adding that Pickrell prior to the shooting had “confronted” Arauz “over something so petty and silly as the words spoken in a song, a geographical location referenced.”
According to the prosecution, Pickrell before pulling the trigger asked if Arauz was afraid to die, leading Arauz to respond he was not. Pickrell was playing “Russian Roulette” with Arauz’s life, Oliver argued, and it didn’t matter if he explicitly knew the gun was loaded or not.
“He was playing with fire and he killed someone because of it,” Oliver said. “He made no effort to find out (if the gun was loaded). If he would have, we wouldn’t be here.”
Vining, Pickrell’s attorney, acknowledged that his client was responsible for Arauz’s death, which he described as “tragic.” But the defense attorney denied that Pickrell had intentionally killed Arauz.
“I can’t imagine what it feels like to lose your own child, but that doesn’t mean it happened on purpose,” Vining told jurors.
Vining noted that, according to the other friend in the room, Pickrell said “Oh s—!” immediately after the gun fired and appeared scared. The defense attorney contended that there hadn’t been a fight, an argument or tension in the room prior to the shooting.
“He didn’t go to Ashton’s house, he didn’t do a drive-by,” Vining told jurors. “He knows where Ashton lives. Who does a murder in his own home?”
Pickrell is scheduled to return to court for sentencing in several weeks.