A black and white photograph from the crime scene of the murder of Raymond Coopwood Jr., 25, of Oakland, who died from a number of gunshot wounds Sept. 29 within the 800 block of Mead Avenue. (Alameda County Court docket Data)
OAKLAND — In a plea deal between Alameda County prosecutors and protection attorneys, a Vallejo man was sentenced to 21 years in state jail for pleading no contest to manslaughter in a 2019 murder, courtroom data present.
Laron Halcrombe, 27, admitted to killing Raymond Coopwood Jr., 25, of Oakland, as a part of a plea deal that was finalized late final 12 months. Prosecutors mentioned Halcrombe fired 21 photographs at Coopwood within the Sept. 29, 2019 taking pictures, and that Coopwood died after being struck by a number of photographs.
In the course of the November sentencing, Coopwood’s mom submitted a letter saying she was making an attempt to rise up the power to forgive Halcrombe two years after her son’s demise.
“You had no proper to take a life that I put on this world, and my coronary heart is much too overwhelmed with this example to the place I battle with the forgiveness of it,” Lavette Carnegie wrote within the letter. “Nonetheless, I'll push my coronary heart to forgive however for my child, my firstborn, Raymond Coopwood, Jr.”
Coopwood’s father, Raymond Coopwood Sr., instructed Halcrombe, “you place my household by way of plenty of ache.”
“I’m not going to have the ability to see that smile once more. I’m not going to have the ability to hear that chortle once more, them conversations we used to have,” Coopwood Sr. mentioned, in accordance with an official transcript. “You recognize, you took a life. You deserve life.”
Prosecutors mentioned in courtroom filings that Halcrombe and Coopwood each “offered medicine” on the 800 block of Mead Avenue, the place Coopwood was killed. On the morning of the murder, Halcrombe and an 18-year-old man burglarized the automotive of a hashish courier in San Mateo. Hours later, Halcrombe returned to Oakland, the place he killed Coopwood.
The 18-year-old who aided Halcrombe within the automotive housebreaking later instructed authorities that Halcrombe known as him and mentioned he “obtained on Coop,” in accordance with prosecutors. Halcrombe was later recognized by eyewitnesses because the shooter, although most mentioned they weren’t 100% positive. Halcrombe denied involvement throughout a police interview, and prosecutors charged him roughly three weeks after the taking pictures.
In a protection movement filed final November, deputy public defender Joseph Penrod wrote Halcrombe has lifelong “developmental delays” that contributed to the crime. He mentioned Halcrombe could have believed he was in imminent hazard from Coopwood.
“Treasured little time existed for Laron to mirror upon what was occurring, and to find out what the right plan of action ought to be,” Penrod wrote. “Laron’s resolution that he was at risk and wanted to defend himself could have been unreasonable, however within the context of his developmental delay, it's considerably mitigated as in comparison with that of an able-minded defendant.”