![]() ![]() The fact that he will remain behind bars for the rest of his life without an opportunity to express his deep-felt remorse or have a chance at redemption is unjust.Email: actress Isadora Ortega is rising up in the entertainment industry as one to watch. Simons must be held accountable, but he is not someone who is beyond rehabilitation. Sims, the decision by the jury does not reflect Mr. Simons bears responsibility for the tragic killing of Mr. Before he was attacked, Sims falsely claimed to have a gun in his car because he was starting to sense danger, DeFerrari said.ĭeputy public defender Michael Lepie, who represented Simon, said his client would be appealing the “unjust” verdict. He said Sims was doing “harmless flirting” with two women Porter-Kelly was talking to, which annoyed Porter-Kelly enough to call him the racist slur and mockingly refer to Sims as “Urkel,” a reference to a Black character from a television show.īehind the bar, Sims offered to buy cocaine from Simons but didn’t have money, leading to the confrontation and the attack. ![]() One dead after overnight Interstate 580 shootingĪt the start of the trial, DeFerrari described the events as one fluid act, linking the interactions between Sims and Porter-Kelly inside the bar, the subsequent beating behind the bar, and the shooting out front. Despite the guilty verdict, Judge Theresa Canepa allowed Porter-Kelly to remain out of custody until Jan. Porter-Kelly has been out on bail for years while the case was pending. “It is extremely unfortunate that he will likely be punished much more harshly then he deserves.”Īt the time of the shooting, Porter-Kelly was driving away, which his attorney argued completely absolved him of the shooting. “I’ll go to my grave believing that Daniel Ortega is guilty of assault but not murder,” Ortega’s lawyer, Paul Feurerwerker, said in a statement to this newspaper. ![]() Ortega’s attorney argued he was innocent of murder but conceded he participated in the beating behind the bar. Porter-Kelly denied he was involved in any of the offenses, though he was convicted of participating in the beating. Simons shot Sims in the head minutes later, after Sims staggered out to the front of the bar and smacked Simons’ car with both hands. Sims was attacked in the back of the bar, beaten so extensively he suffered a cracked skull, and robbed of his wallet. The month-long trial ended last week with three days of closing arguments, where the prosecutor, deputy district attorney Aron DeFerrari, went through the final night of Sims’ life. They were also both convicted of assault, but acquitted of the robbery charge. Ortega and Porter-Kelly were convicted of second-degree murder and face a sentence of 15 years to life. Simons, who shot Sims and argued at trial that he was guilty of manslaughter, not murder, was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, and assault, and faces life without the possibility of parole. The jury’s verdict brings justice to the memory of William Sims,” DeFerrari said. ![]() “The jury in this case performed their civic duty admirably they were thoughtful, diligent and just. William Root and Marc Andaya for investigating this case, saying they “shed light on what the defendants in this case worked so hard to keep in the dark.” In a statement to this newspaper, deputy district attorney Aron DeFerrari praised Contra Costa Sheriff’s Det. The case was originally charged as a hate crime, alleging the three murdered Sims because he was Black, but a grand jury rejected that enhancement a year later. Ray Simons, 36, Daniel Ortega, 35, and Daniel Porter-Kelly, 35, were all found guilty of murdering 28-year-old William Sims, who was shot and killed outside the now-defunct Capri Club bar in El Sobrante in 2016. MARTINEZ - After a week of deliberations, a Contra Costa jury returned murder verdicts against three men charged in the 2016 fatal shooting of an East Bay musician, a crime that caused nationwide outrage based on initial reports that it was motivated by racism. ![]()
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