A man accused of gunning down another man during a street brawl in 2012 has been charged with murder, prosecutors said.
Cedric Car Burton Jr, 30, was charged Thursday in the slaying of 21-year-old Brandy "Brandon" Houston in Lancaster, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
The murder charge includes special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and murder to further the activities of a criminal street gang. The allegations open Burton to a possible death sentence, but prosecutors will decide later whether to seek capital punishment.
He was set to be arraigned Thursday, but a confrontation in court led to a postponement.
Shortly before court was set to begin, the suspect's family began yelling at the victim's family, prompting sheriff's deputies to intervene.
Three other men were convicted in 2014 for their role in the same incident.
The Houston's family said they always held out hope that the gunman would be caught.
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"It's justice, but you know everybody wants to know why," said Chrishonda Coulter, Houston's sister.
On the morning of Nov. 29, 2012, Houston's live-in girlfriend called her sister for a ride after the couple got into a fight, prosecutors said. The sister instead sent three men, who got into an argument with Houston and his family.
The three men left, but promised to return, sheriff's officials said.
The men came back a few hours later, this time with Burton, and a brawl broke out involving about a dozen people, prosecutors said. That's when Burton is accused to have walked through the crowd, go directly to Houston and open fire.
Houston, who was a new father, was struck a dozen times and died, prosecutors said.
Burton, who prosecutors say also goes by Dirty Devil and Lil Ced, was arrested Wednesday when he attended a hearing on an unrelated case at the Antelope Valley Courthouse.
The three other men — Terrell Henderson, 24, Randy "Bam" Sullivan, 38, and Joshua Lockett, 23 — were later arrested, tried and convicted of second-degree murder. All three were sentenced in 2014 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Burton is due back in court June 9. He is charged with murder with special circumstances of lying in wait and in the commission of gang activity, which makes him eligible for the death penalty.
City News Service contributed to this report.
