Man convicted of two murders during 2005 home invasion robbery

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – A man who took part in a 2005 home invasion robbery in
Valencia Park that left two people dead was convicted Tuesday of murder and is
expected to be sentenced to life in life without the possibility of parole.

In a retrial, a jury found Tamoyia Morris guilty of the murders of Meico
McGhee, 30, and Sacha Newbern, 25.

Jurors also found true special circumstance allegations that the murders
were carried out during the course of a robbery and burglary, making the 36-
year-old defendant eligible for life imprisonment.

Morris was a principal in the crime, which was carried out for the
benefit of a street gang, the jury found.

In addition, Morris was convicted of false imprisonment and being a
felon in possession of a firearm.

Morris is scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 14 by Judge David Gill.

Prosecutors said Morris and Michael Baraka Mason held a group of people
captive in a house on Velma Terrace for at least five hours before the victims
were forced into a bathtub and shot at close range.

Morris and Mason mistakenly believed a gang member had hidden money in
the residence, prosecutors said.

In his closing argument, Deputy District Attorney Anthony Campagna told
the seven-woman, five-man jury that DNA on a door of the house was matched to
Morris, and DNA on a cigarette linked Mason to the crime.

“There's no reason for them to be there, no reason for them to be in
that house,” Campagna said.

Defense attorney Stephen Cline, who represents Morris, countered that
his client had no motive to take part in the crime.

“This is essentially an all-or-nothing proposition,” Cline said. “Mr.
Morris wasn't there. It's that simple.”

The lawyer said the prosecution hadn't proved his client's presence
beyond a reasonable doubt. The DNA could have been left at another time, he
said, adding that Morris also “didn't run with the people involved” in the
crime.

Mason was sentenced in April to nine life terms in prison without
parole, plus more than 400 years, after being convicted of first-degree murder
and other charges. Jurors couldn't reach verdicts for Morris, prompting the
retrial.

Morris was convicted last year of murdering Galdino Villarreal and
wounding Shaun Theobalds in December 1995. He was sentenced to 52 years to life
in prison in that case.