A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 358 years to life in prison for shooting a 17-year-old Poly High School student to death for reasons that remain unknown.
Prosecutors said Briana Soto, who was described as a cheerful and upbeat student, had just clocked out of her job at McDonald’s and was walking home when she was fatally shot near the intersection of 11th Street and Lewis Avenue at about 8:22 p.m. on March 26, 2024.
She was so close to home that her mother heard the shots, according to police.
Last March, a jury found 34-year-old Troy Lamar Fox guilty of premeditated murder along with four counts of attempted murder stemming from a separate shooting and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Police said previously that it didn’t appear Fox had any prior relationship with Soto. He did not appear to interact with her at all before the shooting.
“While this punishment cannot undo the pain he caused, it is a step toward justice for Briana, her loved ones, and our community,” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement.
During the trial, prosecutors did not present evidence of a potential motive.
Fox’s conviction hinged on DNA evidence and an interrogation room identification from Fox’s ex-girlfriend.
In an interview captured on video with detectives, Tyrisha Hawkins said a man shown in security camera clips near the shooting scene matched Fox’s walk and had on black, white and red Nike Jordan 11s like the ones Fox owned.
Hawkins also testified that Fox had access to her Nissan, which prosecutors allege Fox used to carry out a separate shooting in a parking lot near 14th Street and Pine Avenue on the morning of April 9, when Fox allegedly fired at, but missed, four teenagers as they drove away.
Prosecutors alleged that Fox fired 13 rounds at the fleeing vehicle.
At the time of both shootings, Fox had a warrant out for his arrest for allegedly violating the terms of his conditional release related to a conviction of illegal weapons possession, police said.
Fox’s history of convictions dates back to 2013, when he accepted a plea deal on one felony count of making criminal threats in Antelope Valley.
Since then, Fox has also served time for grand theft in 2015 and 2017, felony burglary and grand theft in 2018, along with commercial burglary in 2019.
Outside a hearing last October, Soto’s mother, Ana Morales, said in Spanish that she was only hoping for one thing: “That justice be done for her, that is what I ask.”