Testimony is set to resume Thursday for the Sacramento K Street murder trial as the lead investigator in the city’s deadliest shooting continues to share his findings.Previous coverage in the video player aboveSix people died, and 12 more were injured in the April 3, 2022, shooting along a corridor that attracts nightlife. The remaining defendants are Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin, who face murder and weapons charges.At issue in this trial is whether the shooting stemmed from a gang-related standoff or if friends were simply hanging out until a conversation spiraled into gunfire.K Street trial updates todayFind live updates below as they occurUpdates from May 12 and afterwardWhat previously happened on May 27Prosecutors first called Sacramento Police Department Det. Shaun McGovern to the stand on Wednesday, who shared his perspective when he saw a first walkthrough of the crime scene.McGovern also spoke of the search warrants he obtained for social media accounts of individuals connected to the investigation. Among the people he believed to be tied to those accounts were Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, Smiley Martin, Dandrae Martin, Sergio Harris, DeVazia Turner and Mtula Payton.The Martin brothers and Payton were taken into custody, but Smiley Martin died in 2024 while in jail. The other three men named were killed in the gunbattle.McGovern also named three other men, whose initials are SJ, JB and BD.Social media videos that were part of the investigation were also played. In one video, McGovern identified Smiley Martin as a man wearing a “Backwoods” sweatshirt. Earlier this week, a man whose initials are OW also identified a man with the same sweater caught on surveillance video as Smiley.It has also been up for debate between prosecutors and the defense on whether the man in the “Backwoods” sweatshirt also had a gun. McGovern said based on the social media video, he believes Smiley had placed a gun into his waistband.OW testified that he could not remember whether the person had a gun, but a previous statement he gave to detectives stated he was concerned about a man with a gun who approached him and asked him “where you from?”In that same video, Hoye-Lucchesi and the Martin brothers were seen with firearms.Updates from the beginning of the trialThe six killed in the K Street shootingThe three victims are 21-year-old Johntaya “JoJo” Alexander, 57-year-old Melinda Davis, and 21-year-old Yamile Martinez-Andrade.The other three people who died were 29-year-old DeVazia Turner, 38-year-old Sergio Harris and 32-year-old Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi. They are not considered victims because of a California law that does not consider them one if they participate in a shooting that injures or kills someone.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google
Testimony is set to resume Thursday for the Sacramento K Street murder trial as the lead investigator in the city’s deadliest shooting continues to share his findings.
Previous coverage in the video player above
Six people died, and 12 more were injured in the April 3, 2022, shooting along a corridor that attracts nightlife. The remaining defendants are Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin, who face murder and weapons charges.
At issue in this trial is whether the shooting stemmed from a gang-related standoff or if friends were simply hanging out until a conversation spiraled into gunfire.
K Street trial updates today
Find live updates below as they occur
Updates from May 12 and afterward
What previously happened on May 27
Prosecutors first called Sacramento Police Department Det. Shaun McGovern to the stand on Wednesday, who shared his perspective when he saw a first walkthrough of the crime scene.
McGovern also spoke of the search warrants he obtained for social media accounts of individuals connected to the investigation. Among the people he believed to be tied to those accounts were Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, Smiley Martin, Dandrae Martin, Sergio Harris, DeVazia Turner and Mtula Payton.
The Martin brothers and Payton were taken into custody, but Smiley Martin died in 2024 while in jail. The other three men named were killed in the gunbattle.
McGovern also named three other men, whose initials are SJ, JB and BD.
Social media videos that were part of the investigation were also played. In one video, McGovern identified Smiley Martin as a man wearing a “Backwoods” sweatshirt. Earlier this week, a man whose initials are OW also identified a man with the same sweater caught on surveillance video as Smiley.
It has also been up for debate between prosecutors and the defense on whether the man in the “Backwoods” sweatshirt also had a gun. McGovern said based on the social media video, he believes Smiley had placed a gun into his waistband.
OW testified that he could not remember whether the person had a gun, but a previous statement he gave to detectives stated he was concerned about a man with a gun who approached him and asked him “where you from?”
In that same video, Hoye-Lucchesi and the Martin brothers were seen with firearms.
Updates from the beginning of the trial
The six killed 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.
The other three people who died were 29-year-old DeVazia Turner, 38-year-old Sergio Harris and 32-year-old Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi. They are not considered victims because of a California law that does not consider them one if they participate in a shooting that injures or kills someone.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google