DUBLIN — An Oakland man has been convicted of second-degree murder within the 2022 shooting of a person who had just been beaten by the defendant's father and was fleeing the San Leandro bar where the fight took place.
Louis Ray Woods III, 35, was convicted March 25, 2022, of murder and a weapons enhancement for killing Brian Antonio Marquis Moore with an unregistered AR-15 rifle. During the trial, Woods' attorney argued that it was a case of self-defense based on Woods' perception that Moore had a gun. Prosecutors called it premeditated murder and argued that Woods shot Moore as he tried to flee to safety.
Woods faces 15 years to life in prison on the second-degree murder charge alone.
The jury began deliberations on Thursday, November twenty first. They were presented with a variety of charges for consideration, including first-degree murder and voluntary manslaughter, in addition to second-degree murder, which they agreed to.
Moore was killed outside Cunha's Cocktail Lounge in San Leandro, minutes after Woods' father knocked him out during a temporary fight on the bar. A bouncer testified that he regretted letting Moore – who was reportedly drunk and undressed – back into the bar because it ultimately led to his death.
Prosecutors used Moore's erratic behavior to their advantage, arguing that the incontrovertible fact that he took off his clothes proved he was unarmed and that Woods was lying when he claimed Moore had a gun. The defense argued that Moore took or was given a gun after the fight with Woods' father and that Woods believed his father can be “executed” for beating Moore.
According to prosecutors, after the murder, Woods fled to a close-by Motel 6 and tried to avoid contact with police. When police caught up with him, he repeatedly lied and denied being on the bar that night. It wasn't until the trial that he modified his story, took the witness stand and claimed that somebody outside the bar was yelling that one other man “had a gun.”
Woods claimed he fired warning shots and had no intention of hitting Moore. The prosecution explained that this was just one other lie, declaring that Moore had been hit multiple times and arguing that he fled along with his back to his back when the bullets hit him.
Outgoing District Attorney Pamela Price – who was recently removed – issued an announcement on the decision Tuesday, praising the jury's verdict and saying that Wood's decision to bring a gun to the bar ultimately led to the tragedy.
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