Orange County supervisors have approved parceling out $100,000 in reward money to three people who helped catch a couple involved in the road-rage shooting of a 6-year-old boy on the 55 Freeway in Orange three years ago.
Laura Keith, Jesica Rodriguez and Raul Martinez will share in the reward for the arrest and prosecution of Marcus Anthony Eriz, 26, and Wynne Lee, 26, for the May 21, 2021, fatal shooting of Aiden Leos as his mother was driving him to kindergarten.
Keith will get 70%, Rodriguez will receive 20%, and Martinez will get 10%.
Orange County Board Chairman Don Wagner used discretionary money from his district’s budget to offer up half of the reward money following the shooting to generate leads for arrests, and Supervisor Katrina Foley did the same from her district’s budget.
Eriz was convicted of shooting the boy while Lee was driving them to work at collision-repair shop in Highland; he was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison. Lee pleaded guilty to being an accessory to the crime and carrying a concealed weapon in the vehicle and was sentenced to four years behind bars, but she already had accrued that amount of time in home confinement awaiting trial.
That day, Aiden’s mom was cut off and her vehicle nearly hit. Lee made a “peace sign” to the mom, who, prosecutors said, flipped off the occupants of the Volkswagen near Chapman Avenue. Passenger Eriz took out a gun and shot at the other car, prosecutors said, striking the boy who died in less than an hour.
“It’s a further example that we take crime seriously in Orange County,” Wagner said of the reward. “Thank you to all who helped solved this senseless act.”
Foley said: “We’re grateful to the community for the tips provided.”
Martinez witnessed the shooting and provided a photograph of the suspect vehicle, according to a staff report to the Board of Supervisors.
Rodriguez “sent an email on her father’s behalf on June 4, 2021, which mentioned that Eriz worked at Gerber Collision and had an Asian girlfriend, which matched the description of the suspects,” according to the staff report.
She said they were driving a white Volkswagen, which “made Eriz’s name stand out immediately once the tip was received from Laura Keith,” according to staff.
Keith “and her husband both worked with the suspects at Gerber Collision,” the staff said in the report.
“She provided the names of Eriz and Lee, where they lived, their schedules placing them along the route, information that the vehicle was registered to Lee’s grandmother, and information on the Ford Ranger they were then driving,” staff said.
When it became clear authorities were looking for the Volkswagen, the couple started driving another vehicle to work.
“Eriz and Lee were arrested within 24 hours of receiving this tip,” staff said.
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