'Gun nut' charged with murder of Aiden Leos, 6, in LA road rage attack 'brandished his weapon at a Tesla driver days later and then hid his car in a relative's garage after a co-worker recognized it from news coverage'
- Marcus Eriz, 24, and his girlfriend, Wynnie Lee, 23, set to be arraigned Friday in connection with May 21 shooting death of Aiden Leos, 6
- Court filings alleged Eriz admitted to firing shot that killed Aiden because he was angry that the boy's mother made a rude hand gesture at him
- Days later, Eriz again was driving with Lee when he allegedly flashed his gun at a passing Tesla driver who angered him
- After learning from co-workers that police were looking for a car similar to Lee's Eriz allegedly hid it in a relative's garage
- He also shaved his beard and began pulling back his hair
- Eriz was charged with murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle with enhancements and is being held on $2million bail
- Lee faces charges of being an accessory after the fact and illegally carrying a concealed firearm and is being held on $500,000 bail
A California man charged along with his girlfriend in the shooting death of a six-year-old boy during a road-rage incident last month allegedly pulled a gun on another driver just days after the child's killing.
Marcus Eriz, 24, and Wynnie Lee, 23, are scheduled to be arraigned Friday in connection with the killing of Aiden Leos on a Southern California freeway on May 21.
Following the couple's arrest June 6, Eriz admitted to firing the shot that killed the boy after his mother made a rude hand gesture at Eriz, police said.
As police launched an intense search for the gunman, Eriz hid the car he was in on May 21 in a relative's garage, shaved his beard and began pulling back his hair in an apparent attempt to avoid detection, prosecutors said in court papers filed on Wednesday.
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Marcus Eriz, 24, is accused of brandishing a gun at a California Tesla driver just days after allegedly shooting and killing a six-year-old boy. He and girlfriend Wynnie Lee, 23, have been charged in connection with the child's death
Eriz allegedly admitted to the police that he fired the shot that killed Aiden Leos on May 21
A week after the homicide, Eriz allegedly hid Lee's white Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen (pictured) in a relative's garage
Days after allegedly shooting and killing the six-year-old, prosecutors said Eriz brandished a gun at a Tesla driver during another 'altercation.'
'This brazen act of threatening other commuters with a loaded firearm shows this Court that the Defendant cannot control his emotions and the smallest event can set him into a deathly rage,' prosecutor Whitney Bokosky wrote.
The court documents cited by NBC Los Angeles allege that Lee was driving on the 91 freeway between May 24-28, with Eriz in the front passenger seat, when the driver of a blue Tesla 'did something to make [Eriz] angry, acting aggressively.'
Eriz allegedly pulled out his gun and flashed it at the other driver, who told the couple he had called the police and then sped away. No one was injured in that incident.
Eriz and Lee were arrested outside of their Costa Mesa apartment on June 6. Eriz was charged with murder and shooting at an occupied vehicle with enhancements and was held on $2million bail.
Lee faces charges of being an accessory after the fact and illegally carrying a concealed firearm, and is being held on $500,000 bail.
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Eriz allegedly claimed he go angry after Aiden's mother 'flipped him off' and opened fire on her Chevy sedan (pictured) on the 55 freeway
Joanna Cloonan (center), the mother of six-year-old Aiden (right), heard a loud noise, and then her son said 'ow'
Prosecutors called Eriz in the court filings an 'extreme danger' and asked the judge to deny him bail, arguing that 'he cannot control his temper and he goes to extremes in the snap of a finger when he is angered.'
In the court papers, prosecutors said Leos’ mother, Joanna Cloonan, was driving on the 55 Freeway in Orange County on her way to drop her son off at kindergarten when she was cut off by a white Volkswagen Golf Sportwagen driven by Lee and Eriz.
Angry about being cut off, Cloonan held up her finger. She then heard a loud bang and her son sitting in a booster seat in the back say 'ow.' She pulled over and saw he was bleeding from the chest, the filings said.
Aiden was pronounced dead in a hospital less than 40 minutes later.
Eriz, an auto body shop worker, appears to be a gun fanatic with his social media filled with photos of him showing off his guns and firing them at shooting ranges (right)
Eriz, pictured appearing in court via Zoom for a bail hearing last week, is scheduled to be arraigned along with Lee on Friday
In the weeks after Leos’ death, authorities offered a reward for tips leading to an arrest and said they received hundreds from the community. They said the couple’s car was relatively uncommon and that helped investigators track it down through surveillance footage.
When interviewed by police after his arrest, Eriz allegedly admitted that he was 'angry after being "flipped off"' by Cloonan, so he grabbed his loaded Glock 17 9mm, rolled down his window and took a shot at her car.
He and Lee then continued on their way to work in Highland.
A week later, a co-worker told Eriz that authorities were looking for a car similar to his and Lee's.
Eriz allegedly told police he saw a news story online about Aiden Leos' killing and 'said he "immediately" knew he was responsible for the boy's death.'
After sharing his realization with his girlfriend, Eriz hid the Volkswagen in a relative’s garage and started driving a red truck. He also shaved his substantial beard and began wearing his long hair tied back.
Eriz, an auto body shop worker, appears to be a gun fanatic with his social media filled with photos of him showing off his guns and firing them at shooting ranges.
In one photo, Eriz displayed two handguns and a rifle. In another photo, he showed off his ammunition.
Prosecutors said in the court filings that Eriz's arsenal includes an AR, a revolver and the Glock 17 that was used in Aiden's killing, and that taking the weapons away from him would not stop him from using another firearm if he is released on bond.
If convicted, Eriz faces between 40 years to life in prison. Lee faces up to three years in state prison and a year in county jail.
