A couple were charged Friday with the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who was playing video games in the bedroom of his Pasadena home in November 2021, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
Muhammad Abdul-Malik, 38, and Teraeja Laquanna Flemmings, 31, are each charged with a count of murder in connection with the Nov. 20, 2021, killing of Iran Moreno.
Abdul-Malik is also facing an allegation that he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death, along with one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
He allegedly fired a single gunshot through a window in Moreno’s home in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue from a vacant lot across the street, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Abdul-Malik then got into a getaway vehicle allegedly driven by Flemmings, the D.A.’s Office said.
He is waiting extradition from Florida, where he is currently in custody, while Flemmings is set to be arraigned Monday in a Pasadena courtroom, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
Flemmings was arrested Wednesday by Pasadena police and has remained behind bars since then in lieu of $2 million bail, jail records show.
The charges come less than a month after the Pasadena Police Department renewed its call for help identifying the gunman and released new details about a female suspect whom they believed to be the getaway driver.
“Newly enhanced surveillance video revealed a partial license plate number QJ117 from the Ford Fusion,” the police department said in a previous statement.
Authorities have not disclosed a possible motive for the shooting.
“The violence that took this young boy’s life is not only tragic, but also unacceptable and criminal,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement released shortly after the charges were filed.
“No family should ever have to endure the heartbreak of losing a child under such horrific circumstances. While we cannot undo this tragedy, we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”
If convicted as charged, Abdul-Malik faces up to 53 years to life in state prison, while Flemmings could face a maximum of 25 years to life in state prison, according to the D.A.’s Office.