Man found guilty in 2005 murders

— A man accused of taking part in a Valencia Park home invasion robbery and shooting in 2005 that left two people dead was convicted Tuesday of murder and other felony charges.

Tamoyia Morris, 36, was charged with the killings of Meico McGhee, 30, and Sacha Newbern, 25, who were among a group of people held captive in the home while robbers searched for money they believed had been hidden there.

McGhee and Newbern were shot in a bathroom.

This was the second time Morris had been tried in San Diego Superior Court in connection with the shooting. Last year, a different jury was unable to reach verdicts stemming from that incident, but found Morris guilty of murder and other charges in a 1995 drive-by shooting in the Skyline neighborhood.

In both trials, Deputy District Attorney Anthony Campagna argued that Morris was among a group of men who broke into a house on Velma Terrace on Nov. 25, 1995, because they believed a gang member had stashed away money there. Morris’ DNA was found on a door.

Five men and women were held at least five hours, while the intruders searched the house and backyard. No money was found.

Eventually, McGhee and Newbern were forced into a bathtub where they were shot at close range.

The prosecutor said during the trial that it was unclear who actually fired the bullets that killed McGhee and Newbern, but Morris was at least an aider and abettor in those acts.

“One of the people in that house pulled that trigger,” Campagna said. “Maybe it was two people.”

In addition to murder and an allegation that the crimes were committed for the benefit of a street gang, the jury on Tuesday found Morris guilty of attempted robbery, burglary and five counts of false imprisonment. He was also convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Because of special-circumstance allegations of murder during a robbery and a burglary, Morris faces life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Defense lawyer Stephen Cline argued in trial that Morris was not at the house during the shooting. He said Morris may have been in the home some time earlier, which would explain why his DNA was found there.

The attorney said the prosecution’s case relied heavily on a witness whose testimony was based on rumor, not fact.

“Mr. Morris wasn’t there,” Cline said. “It’s that simple.”

Another man, Michael Baraka Mason, was convicted of murder last year in connection with the Velma Terrace shootings and a separate fatal shooting in Normal Heights. He was sentenced in April to multiple terms of life in prison without parole.

Judge David Gill scheduled Morris’ sentencing hearing for Aug. 14.


