A 3-year-old boy was fatally shot during a drive-by shooting in Georgia in March 2024 when a bullet entered his home while he and his brother were watching TV. Now, four men are going to prison for their involvement in the boy’s death.
Julian Cubillos pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Kyron Santino Zarco Smith. Cubillos, 19, was ultimately sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, according to Law & Crime.
Cubillos pleaded guilty after Desmontrez Mathis, Jayden Brown and Dakious Echols were all convicted of malice murder and other charges in connection to the shooting. Mathis, 24, Brown, 18, and Echols, 20, were sentenced to life in prison.
Following Mathis, Brown and Echols’ sentencing hearings, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr reflected on what the conclusions meant for the young boy’s family.
“While nothing can bring Kyron back, we hope this outcome provides his family with some sense of peace and the justice they deserve,” Carr said in a statement shared in February. “This was a senseless shooting that should have never occurred, and it’s exactly why we cannot let up in the fight against gang activity. Our children deserve better, Georgia families deserve better, and the people of Athens deserve better, and we will keep fighting for them every day.”
The AG’s office told WXIA that Cubillos received a lesser sentence because he did not pull the trigger and cooperated with authorities amid the investigation.
Mathis, Brown and Echols were all members of the Everybody Eats (EBE) gang. Alongside Cubillos, the trio drove to the Hallmark Mobile Home Park in Athens, Georgia, on March 8, 2024, to target a rival gang member. Prosecutors said that attacking the rival would “increase their status within EBE.”
The group then opened fire when they arrived at the mobile home park, and several bullets entered the home where the young brothers were sitting on the couch. Kyron ultimately died when he was struck in the chest, while his 9-year-old brother suffered non-life-threatening injuries after he was also hit by gunfire.
The gang members were believed to have been targeting Kyron’s oldest brother, according to WXIA.
The victim’s mother, Shanita Smith, told the outlet that she was relieved about the guilty verdicts following Cubillos’ sentencing.
“All these guilty verdicts, it was just like an answer to all my prayers, that I’ve been waiting for so long,” Smith said.
Smith added that Kyron’s oldest brother feels guilty about the victim’s death, and the family moved away from Athens after the shooting.
“He’s hurting as well, knowing that, you know, the words he chooses to use at that moment, ultimately caused strangers to show up at your house and to do that,” Smith said. “It was senseless. It still don’t make sense.”
