Trial over Sacramento's deadliest shooting ends in mistrial

The trial of two men accused of carrying out the deadliest shooting in Sacramento, California, ended in a mistrial on Tuesday. Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin were tried together and faced up to 15 years to life in prison for their role in the shooting, which killed six people and injured at least a dozen. While they were not convicted for the deaths, they were found guilty of being in possession of firearms despite having prior felonies.

The trial, which lasted more than two months, included dozens of hours of footage of the shooting and testimony from responding officers, witnesses, and the two men prosecutors allege planned the gun battle against rival gang members. Taking place just blocks from the state’s capitol, the 2022 shooting rocked Sacramento. In the early morning hours of April 3, 2022, rapid gunshots from multiple directions broke through the sounds of hundreds of people leaving bars and clubs on K Street. People sprinted and ducked for cover. By the end, six people were dead: three women who were bystanders – Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21 – and three men later alleged to have been part of the conflict – Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and DeVazia Turner, 29.

Martin and his brother Smiley Martin were arrested days after the shooting, and Payton was found in Las Vegas and arrested in late May 2022. All three were charged with murder. In 2024, Smiley Martin was found dead in his cell from a methadone overdose. Prosecutors argued that Martin and Payton went to K Street to kill rivals, while the defense argued they fired in self-defense. Initially charged with first-degree murder, charges were later reduced to second-degree after the jury became deadlocked. The jury could not reach a consensus on murder charges. Now Sacramento County prosecutors will decide whether to pursue a retrial.