Retrial Begins In Killing Of 5-Year-Old Boy In Spider-Man Costume

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The retrial for a man charged in the killing of a 5-year-old boy in a Spider-Man costume began Wednesday, with a prosecutor telling jurors that eyewitnesses linked a reputed gang member to the Halloween 2010 shooting, but a defense attorney said there's no physical evidence connecting her client to the crime.

A second trial is underway against Leonard Hall Jr., now 25, who was charged with murdering Aaron Shannon Jr. and trying to kill the boy's grandfather and uncle, who were wounded in the 1000 block of East 84th Street in South Los Angeles about 2 p.m. Oct. 31, 2010.

A mistrial was declared in March 2013 after the first jury said it was deadlocked, 9-3, with the majority in favor of guilty.

In her opening statement Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Sarika Kim showed jurors a photo of the boy, taken minutes before the shooting, showing off the Spider-Man costume his grandfather bought for him.

According to the prosecutor, Hall and another reputed gang member, Marcus Denson, went into rival territory in the midst of a gang war and initially passed behind the family's back yard via an alleyway. Eyewitnesses subsequently identified Hall as the man who returned to shoot the child and two of his relatives," who had no gang affiliations, Kim told jurors.

Hall's attorney, Carol Ojo, countered that the issue was "who fired this shot and what the evidence shows," telling jurors that there was "absolutely no physical evidence" linking Hall to the crime.

The defense attorney also questioned eyewitnesses' identification of Hall as the gunman as well as why he would have been with Denson, saying that the two did not get along with each other.

Hall is charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder, along with gang and gun allegations.

Denson, now 23, previously pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of attempted murder and is facing 25 years in state prison.

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