One of two men who pleaded guilty to a drive-by shooting at a La Jolla house party that killed a young woman and injured three other people was sentenced Monday to 24 years in state prison.
Malik Joshua Campbell, 25, and co-defendant Odyssey Sellers Carrillo, 23, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges for the June 23, 2019, shooting death of 20-year-old Nina Silver, who was struck while standing in an alley in the 7500 block of Cuvier Street.
Campbell was sentenced on Monday. Carrillo's defense attorney was not available for the hearing, so his sentencing was rescheduled for November, when he's expected to be sentenced to a stipulated term of 35 years in prison.
Prosecutors allege gang motivations were behind the 12:30 a.m. shooting and that Silver was not the intended target.
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Silver was shot in the back. Prosecutors say the three wounded victims were shot in the face, chest, and arm, respectively.
San Diego police said a light-colored sedan drove north in the alley and an occupant fired several rounds at the victims.
Carrillo, who prosecutors allege was the shooter, was arrested in July 2019 following a high-speed police pursuit. Campbell was arrested two months later.
Deputy District Attorney Ted Fiorito said Silver's family wanted to attend Monday's sentencing, "but it's just simply too hard to come for a hearing like this."
Fiorito said Silver's mother "wanted to express her hope that the defendants in this case turn their lives around after this. There will be a day where they'll be getting out of custody and she is hopeful that it will be a day where they can do some good in this world, because they've taken some good from this world already."
A few days after the killing, friends and family gathered for a candlelight vigil in memory of Silver, a 2017 graduate of Poway High School.
“Nina was a lovely soul. She brought everyone a smile. She left a mark on everyone no matter what, who, anything," Silver’s best friend Cheyenne Dephilippes said.
Dephilippes was at the party when Silver was shot and tried to help her before first responders arrived.
Dephilippes said Silver was days away from moving to New York with her mother where she was going to attend NYU and help troubled youth.
Along with manslaughter, Carrillo pleaded guilty to an attempted murder count and two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, while Campbell pleaded guilty to three assault counts.
