A trial that gripped Sacramento for more than two months ended without a verdict Tuesday when jurors deadlocked on murder charges against two men accused of carrying out the city's deadliest shooting.
Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin faced up to 15 years to life in prison for their alleged roles in the April 2022 rampage on K Street that killed six people and wounded at least a dozen more. A jury found both men guilty of firearm possession despite prior felonies, but could not reach consensus on the homicide counts that prosecutors pursued.
The mistrial marks a significant setback for the case. Prosecutors had initially charged both men with first-degree murder but downgraded charges to second-degree murder as jury deliberations stalled. County prosecutors must now decide whether to retry the murder allegations.
The shooting unfolded in the early morning hours of April 3 as hundreds of people spilled from bars and nightclubs along K Street near the state capitol. Rapid gunfire erupted from multiple directions, sending crowds into a desperate scramble for cover. Within moments, six lay dead: three women identified as bystanders, Johntaya Alexander (21), Melinda Davis (57), and Yamile Martinez-Andrade (21), and three men allegedly connected to the underlying conflict, Sergio Harris (38), Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi (32), and DeVazia Turner (29).
Martin and his brother Smiley were arrested days later. Payton was apprehended in Las Vegas in late May 2022. All three were initially charged with murder. Smiley Martin died in Sacramento County Main Jail in 2024 from a methadone overdose, according to the coroner.
The trial centered on competing narratives about what prompted the gunfire. Prosecutors argued that Payton and Martin went to K Street with intent to kill rival gang members. The defense countered that both men fired in self-defense and fear after unexpectedly coming under fire.
Payton testified about joining a local gang at age 11 and described his terror during the shooting. "Everybody was running in the same direction as me. People were getting shot around me. I was scared," he told his attorney. Martin claimed he had no gang affiliation, though his deceased brother did.
The case drew international media attention because of its lethality and location blocks from the capitol. Gang-related shootings typically receive limited coverage, but this incident's death toll and symbolic geography transformed it into a high-profile trial. The proceedings included dozens of hours of surveillance footage and testimony from responding officers and eyewitnesses.
The extended trial took a visible toll on the families of the deceased. A two-week jury break in early July prolonged their grief and courtroom trauma. Leia Schenk, a victims' advocate supporting three bereaved families, noted that the repeated returns to court made healing nearly impossible. "You can't even begin to heal until this is over. Every time they try to move on with life or get past that day and then they come into court, they're reminded," she said.
Author James Rodriguez: "Sacramento's prosecutors face a crucial decision, but another trial means more pain for families who've already spent months watching this unfold."
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