The San Diego County Sheriff's Department on Monday identified the two victims — one of whom had a conviction for murder that was later vacated — who were killed in a house party shooting last week in an unincorporated area of El Cajon.
Sheriff's deputies identified one of the victims as Seandell Jones, 29, who was convicted in 2012 for his role in the death of a college student who was killed while answering a Craigslist ad.
Jones, along with Rashon Abernathy and Shaquille Jordan, were convicted of robbery, shooting at an occupied vehicle and first-degree murder in the death of Garrett Berki, who was 18 years old when he died.
The men used a Craigslist add offering a laptop computer to lure Berki to Paradise Hills on May 11, 2011. When Berki arrived with his girlfriend Ali Faudoa, they stole $600 from him and drove off.
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Berki chased after them, hoping to get a license plate number, and was shot while sitting behind the wheel of his car.
Jones' murder conviction was vacated in 2021 when a new state law rendered his conviction moot, since he did not occupy a primary roll in Berki's murder, since he did "not take a human life." He was credited for serving eight years for the robbery and attempted murder, and released from prison.
David Zugman, the defense attorney who represented Jones, reacted to the news Monday.
"It's just sad that, for a guy like Seandell, who I thought was doing well — Sometimes you're born near that life its gravity keeps pulling you back," Zugman said. "As far as I know, Seandell had changed. He had not gone back to that life, and the original crimes, while very very serious, were not like, 'Oh my gosh, this guy is an irredeemable predator.'"
THE HOUSE PARTY SHOOTING
The other victim in the house party shooting was identified as Jaden Davis, 20. Both victims died from gunshot wounds, SDSO said.
Neither Davis nor Jones lived in the house where the shooting happened, which was rented through Airbnb, SDSO said.
The Sheriff's Department is still investigating the motivation and circumstances behind the shooting.
The shooting was reported shortly before 2 a.m. Thursday on the 800 block of Renfro Way in unincorporated El Cajon, SDSO said.
San Diego News
“Numbers-wise, we’ve gotten different estimates but fairly safe seems to be at least 150 to 200 people from what we’re hearing from different people,” SDSO Lt. Joseph Jarjura said. “They were here for some type of party.”
Lt. Jarjura added that witnesses reported seeing the party being advertised on social media, but officials have not confirmed that.
A witness told NBC 7 she saw the party advertisement below on Instagram. She said the address of the party was revealed later.
Another witness who goes to Education First International Language Centers in Liberty Station said she was at the party with classmates, but couldn't say if the party was being hosted by someone from her school. The flyer told partygoers to buy their tickets at a smoking area on the "EF Campus."
In a statement sent to NBC 7, the school said the party wasn't affiliated with the school but some of its students were there.
"We have strong policies in place to guide appropriate student behavior, and we will initiate disciplinary measures where appropriate," the statement read, in part.
Details on what led up to the violence were not immediately clear. Officials have not named a possible suspect or motive in the shooting.
The investigation is ongoing.
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