Over the weekend, the Orange County District Attorney, Todd Spitzer, issued a statement warning someone who murdered 6-year-old Aiden Leos to turn themselves in.[1]
OC District Attorney, Todd Spitzer, Warns Killer Of 6-Year-old Aiden Leos To Turn Himself In – The man who allegedly stabbed a 6-year-old boy to death during a home invasion in Lake Forest last month, has been identified as Jeremy Allen Meeks, 32, of Las Vegas Nevada, according to Orange County District Attorney, Todd Spitzer’s office. “I hope he chooses to turn himself in,” said Spitzer. “We are working to find him. If he turns himself in, it will help us to address the needs of our community.”
ANA (CBSLA) – Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer issued a stern warning Thursday to a pair of unknown suspects wanted for the murder of a 6-year-old boy on the 55 block of Costa Mesa Freeway in Orange, as the reward offered in the case has been increased to $310,000.
The California Highway Patrol released this photo Thursday of the vehicle of the suspect in the fatal shooting of 6-year-old Aiden Leos. (CBSLA)
During a news conference in Orange County, the attorney general gave the woman and man who were in the car when Aiden Leos was shot last Friday 24 hours to turn themselves in.
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We’re not joking anymore, Spitzer said. So,you choose door A or door B….. Port A, we’ll hear what you have to say.
Door B, he explained, is to throw the book at the killer and all those who helped him get away with it.
You have about 24 hours to give up or the door to your future will close. My patience is running out, Spitzer said, adding: The longer this goes on, the less I feel the need to understand you.
Spitzer said it appears the woman was driving the suspect vehicle and the passenger opened fire, killing the Costa Mesa teen, who was in a booster seat in his mother’s car as she took him to kindergarten at Calvary Chapel School in Yorba Linda.
Spitzer said prosecutors have solved cases from 40 years ago and will not rest until they bring the boy’s killer to justice.
The woman driving the car should turn herself in, Spitzer said. It’s an accessory… It’s not getting any better for you.
Then he turned to the killer and said: You’re gonna spend the rest of your life knowing you killed a six-year-old boy.
Spitzer said he would meet Thursday afternoon with investigators from the California Highway Patrol to review the evidence collected so far.
I hope to be satisfied with this briefing, Spitzer said.
On Thursday, the reward for the arrest and conviction of the killer was increased to $310,000. Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner contributed $50,000 toward the crowdfunding fee, and the project snowballed from there, Wagner said at a news conference.
This community comes together for justice, Wagner said.
Supervisor Katrina Foley also contributed $50,000 from her office’s discretionary budget. The Board of Supervisors approved a $100,000 contribution Tuesday, and the Costa Mesa City Council is expected to add the tax at its meeting next week.
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A consortium of local business leaders, including Bill Skeffington, CEO of Ben’s Asphalt, donated the rest, and he predicted the rewards would continue to grow.
Skeffington added: A woman driving a car. Give it up. Todd is a great guy and I’m sure a solution can be found.
Anyone with relevant information is asked to call the California Highway Patrol at 714-567-6000. The HPC has also established an email address [email protected] to collect information. Anonymous messages may also be received by calling 800-TELL-CHP.
Another website has also been set up to gather opinions from the public: http://www.aiden-reward.com.
You can get an award, but you certainly did the right thing, Wagner said.
It’s possible that multiple people could be rewarded, depending on how the information leads to an arrest and conviction, he said.
Aiden’s 15-year-old sister, Alexis Cloonan, expressed gratitude on behalf of their mother and urged anyone with information to contact investigators.
Please, if you saw anything, answer, she said.
Another family member, Carol Ibanez, told reporters at a news conference: We keep going every morning, thanks to all of you.
She also thanked the HPC staff, adding: We’re a little baffled today ….. It’s really terrible.
Joanna Cloonan was driving a silver Chevrolet Cruze sedan with her son in the passenger seat in the right rear when another driver opened fire on Costa Mesa’s North Freeway between 22 Garden Grove Road and Chapman Avenue between 7:55 and 8:15 a.m.
Reyes Valdivia and his wife stopped to help when they saw Cloonan standing on the side of the road trying to pull his son out of the passenger side of the car. He said she told them that when she tried to change lanes to get out, she was cut off by a sedan with a man and woman in it, she waved them into the lane, and that’s when the bullet entered the left side of the trunk and hit her son.
She called 911 and the boy was taken to Orange County Children’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, said California Highway Patrol Officer John De Matteo. He said it was unclear how many shots were fired from the suspects’ vehicle, which could be a newer model, possibly a white sedan resembling a VW wagon.
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(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All rights reserved. City News Service contributed to this report).
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