Man Who Shot Victim 30 Times In Stockton In 2017 Sentenced To 40 Years To Life
STOCKTON (CBS13) – A man convicted of a second-degree murder in which he shot his victim 30 times in Stockton in 2017 was sentenced to 40 years to life, San Joaquin County District Attorney Tori Verber Salazar announced on Friday.
A press release issued from Salazar's office said Jontell Jaymar Roots was sentenced on Monday, July 27 for one count of second-degree murder with an enhancement for using a firearm in the commission of a felony, causing death.
Roots chased after the victim – Lonnell Broadnax – after Broadnax punched him in the face in the area of N. Madison and W. Poplar Streets on the night of Sept. 17, 2017, Salazar said.
"All assaultive behavior is criminal, but responding to a fistfight, with a loaded firearm, is the definition of violence escalation and a cowardly act," said District Attorney Salazar. "This disagreement should never have ended as it did. One young man is in prison, and a second young man is dead."
According to Salazar, evidence showed Broadnax approached a group of people in the area, including Roots, and attacked Roots following an exchange before running away. The altercation was caught by security cameras.
Roots drove after Broadnax and caught up to him two blocks away in a parking lot on Monroe Street. Salazar said a witness saw Roots fire dozens of shots and Broadnax.
Investigators also discovered a social media post where Roots was showing off a loaded gun that was consistent with the one used in the Broadnax's murder, however, it was never recovered. Roots reportedly also posted a quote on social media weeks after the murder "describing the feeling of power upon killing a victim," Salazar said.
The press release from Salazar's office said Broadnax is survived by his young daughter and his mother and father, who lost their only child.
Roots will be eligible for parole following his 25th year of incarceration.
