Hollywood

Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for Shotgun Killing of Woman in Hollywood

The victim was killed while walking with her boyfriend from their apartment

A man was sentenced Monday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for killing a woman in a Hollywood sidewalk attack precipitated by a financial dispute over social media promotion work she did for his business.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Robert J. Perry handed down the sentence after tearful statements by the victim's relatives and outbursts by the defendant's family that nearly landed one of his sisters in contempt of court.

Perry first denied a motion for a new trial for Ezeoma Chigozie Obioha, rejecting arguments by defense attorneys that a photo array used to identify their client was "constitutionally defective'' and that other decisions at trial amounted to ineffective counsel or prejudicial error by the court.

"I think the defendant received a fair trial," Perry said.

Obioha, 32, was convicted Dec. 13 of first-degree murder for the July 5, 2015, shotgun slaying of Carrie Melvin, and jurors found true a special circumstance allegation of murder for financial gain.

The 30-year-old victim was shot to death near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and McCadden Place while walking with her boyfriend from their apartment to a nearby Thai restaurant. The killer walked up behind the couple, felled her with a single shotgun round, then walked to a parked car and drove away.

Obioha, a Beverly Hills High School graduate and one-time security guard for a medical marijuana dispensary, was initially taken into custody in connection with a drug case, then arrested for Melvin's killing after her boyfriend identified him in a photo lineup.

At a 2016 hearing, Los Angeles Police Department Detective Luis Carranza testified that state labor officials told him that a settlement conference had been set for July 27, 2015, to deal with a $1,700 claim that Melvin had filed against Obioha stemming from alleged unpaid wages.

A notice had been sent about the conference on June 29, 2015, and a document from the state labor board was found on Melvin's kitchen counter, the detective testified.

The woman's boyfriend told investigators that Melvin had recently started a business to increase other businesses' social media presence and that it was off to a rough start because her first client had "stiffed her,'" according to Carranza.

The Los Angeles Times previously reported that Melvin had agreed to market Obioha's "hoodfellas" clothing line.

Melvin's boyfriend identified Obioha as the gunman when he was shown a "six-pack" of photos about three weeks after the shooting.

In arguing for a new trial, defense co-counsel Edi Faal said the boyfriend was less than objective because he believed Obioha was interested in a romantic relationship with Melvin.

"The only independent eyewitness" gave a physical description of a man about 6 feet tall with "abnormally dark skin" and "dark patterns on the face" that didn't match the defendant, who is 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 and has a "caramel complexion," Faal told the court.

A darkened mug shot misled that witness into picking Obioha out of the six-pack, Faal said, calling the photo "a lie."

Melvin's father said he came into the criminal proceedings with a "completely open mind" and told Obioha's family from the start that he did not support the death penalty.

But after hearing the evidence, "there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the defendant is guilty," Bernard Melvin told the court, adding that he "can never forgive" his daughter's killer and that her loss makes him feel "as though I have lost a limb."

He accused Obioha's family of perjuring themselves to protect him and said they needed to recognize "a painful truth" that "he is a liar and a murderer and will spend the rest of his time in prison."

Before the victim's father and brother spoke, one of Obioha's sisters stood in the back of the courtroom and shouted, "You're sending an innocent man to prison," before deputies escorted her out.

She later returned to the courtroom, where 10 deputies ultimately stood watch over the proceedings.

Other members of Obioha's family were ordered to leave after disrupting the hearing, including another sister who told Melvin's father, "Let's work together to find the truth. I apologize for your loss."

The defense team contended that another man was responsible for the killing and was identified by an eyewitness in an interview with police, evidence that was not allowed at trial.

Melvin's brother told the court, "It hurts so much that the defendant is still claiming he's not guilty ... God knows, Jesus knows."

His sister told him "what a creep the defendant was," Ryan Melvin said. "Every little thing reminds me of Carrie.''

After sentencing, Perry called up one of Obioha's sisters, the first to speak out, and read out a portion of the penal code definition of contempt of court.

"I understand you are emotionally involved," Perry said, but added that he was "deeply troubled" and "disappointed" by her actions.

He chose not to cite her for contempt.

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