Man gets 50 to life for murdering Fontana High School student

Man gets 50 to life for murdering Fontana High School student
Will Bigham, Staff Writer

FONTANA - An 18-year-old man convicted of murdering a Fontana High School student last year in retaliation for a prior gang killing was sentenced Friday to 50 years to life in prison.
Prosecutors accused Cordell Rabon, 18, of shooting and killing Darius Simmons the night of Jan. 12 last year - the same night that a wake was held for an alleged gang member who was slain 12 days earlier.

On Friday, Simmons' family members said Simmons, 17, was not a gang member, but he was targeted because his best friend belonged to a gang that Rabon's gang held responsible for the prior killing.

Simmons was shot twice in the back at about 7:45 p.m. in the walkway leading to the front door of his home in the 9800 block of Chantry Avenue in Fontana.

He was pronounced dead at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center about an hour later.

Prior to Rabon's sentencing in Fontana Superior Court, Simmons' girlfriend and three of his family members spoke about Simmons' killing in court, with Rabon and his family present to hear their remarks.

"I hope you live the rest of your life in prison and never see daylight again," said Simmons' mother, Kathy Moore.

Simmons' older brother, Robert Davis, said: "Cordell Rabon is a punk coward, and there is no place for you on Earth."

After Judge Dwight W. Moore sentenced Rabon to 50 years to life, Rabon dried a tear with a tissue and looked at his family in the courtroom audience.

Prior to sentencing, Moore denied a motion for a new trial made by Rabon's attorney.
The attorney, Frank Scott, told Moore that two eyewitness identifications of Rabon as the shooter were unreliable.

Scott also said investigators failed to look into other possible suspects, and failed to pursue lines of inquiry that may have shown Rabon was innocent.

Dwight, who presided over Rabon's trial, said he's convinced the former Ontario resident is responsible for Simmons' killing.

"I do not have a reasonable doubt," Dwight said. "I believe the defendant is guilty."

Scott said he would file an appeal of Rabon's case.

There was clear animosity in court Friday between Simmons' supporters and Rabon's supporters. Police presence was substantially increased because a fight broke out during a prior hearing.

Several people who attended Friday's hearing were arrested for probation violations and other offenses, and a detective took the unusual step of filming people in the hallway outside the courtroom - possibly for potential future use as evidence.

Simmons, who is survived by a 2-year-old daughter, enjoyed playing sports and had been rapping since he was 9 years old, family members said Friday.

"He was just an outgoing young teenager who liked to spend time with his family," Davis said in an interview last year.

Rabon initially eluded authorities after Simmons' shooting, and was arrested in March in Ontario.

A jury deliberated for two days before finding him guilty in October of first-degree murder. The jury also found true a special allegation that Rabon used a firearm in the course of the killing.

First-degree murder and the gun allegation each carry a sentence of 25 years to life.


Heard this was a 4th St Hustla blasting a NAW. Does anyone know for sure?

Heard this was a 4th St Hustla blasting a NAW. Does anyone know for sure?[/quote]


Yeah this is the naw gang and fruit snack beef..