Beautiful 17-year-old girl's killer learns his fate after gunning her down steps from her home
Troy Lamar Fox, 34, was convicted in March of first-degree murder for the killing of Briana Soto, a student who was gunned down just steps from her home.
The jury also convicted him of four counts of attempted murder in a separate shooting on April 9, 2024, in which he opened fire on a car carrying four minors, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday.
'Briana Soto had her whole life ahead of her - she was getting ready for her prom, her 18th birthday, and graduation,' Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.
'Today's sentence ensures the person who stole her future will never be free to harm another innocent person. While this punishment cannot undo the pain he caused, it is a step toward justice for Briana, her loved ones, and our community.'
Lamar Fox was already in custody for an unrelated weapons violation when he was identified by Long Beach Police as the suspect who fatally shot Soto as she walked home from work.
Soto was just outside her family's home on the evening of March 26 around 8:30pm when she was shot while on the phone with her mother.
The teen's family heard the gunshots outside their home - rushing her to the hospital where she eventually succumbed to her injuries three days later.
The suspect was caught on security footage moments after the shooting dressed in dark clothing with a mask covering his face.
Long Beach Police investigated DNA, video and cell phone evidence before identifying Fox as the suspect who is believed to be involved in two other incidents on April 9 and July 7.
On April 9, officers responded to a shots-fired call where a suspect, believed to be Fox, discharged a firearm in the direction of three juveniles and one adult in a vehicle.
On July 7, cops arrived on the scene after a report of firearms inside of a vehicle. During the incident, officers located Fox and a juvenile suspect and later learned they were both prohibited possessors.
Two firearms were recovered on the suspects and four firearms were recovered from the vehicle.
Fox had an outstanding warrant for his arrest issued in November 2023 for violation of his parole terms.
Following investigation into Soto's case, on September 11, detectives presented evidence to a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge and obtained an arrest warrant for Fox for the murder of the Long Beach teen.
On September 13, cops took custody of Fox from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and booked him into the Long Beach City Jail.
Police have not yet disclosed a motive behind the shootings.
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