Four Georgia men will serve prison time for a drive-by shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy and wounded a 9-year-old as the two children watched TV on their living room couch.
Julian Cubillos, 19, the last of the four men to resolve his case, pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter in the death of young Kyron Santino Zarco Smith. Court records show Cubillos received a 20-year prison sentence. Three other men — Desmontrez Mathis, 24, Jayden Brown, 18, and Dakious Echols, 20 — were convicted of malice murder and additional charges and sentenced to life in prison.
“While nothing can bring Kyron back, we hope this outcome provides his family with some sense of peace and the justice they deserve,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. “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.”
According to the AG’s Office, Mathis, Brown and Echols were all members of the Everybody Eats (EBE) gang. The four men drove to the Hallmark Mobile Home Park in Athens on March 8, 2024, to target a rival gang member in a bid to “increase their status within EBE,” prosecutors said.
When they arrived at the mobile home park, the now-convicted killers opened fire. A barrage of bullets tore into the home where Kyron and the 9-year-old were sitting on the couch. Kyron was struck in the chest and died. The 9-year-old sustained a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening.
Local NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the shooters were actually targeting Kyron’s oldest brother. Their mother, Shanita Smith, said she felt relieved following the guilty verdicts.
“All these guilty verdicts, it was just like an answer to all my prayers, that I’ve been waiting for so long,” Smith told the TV station.
Kyron’s oldest brother carries a heavy burden of guilt over the toddler’s death, Smith said. The family has since moved away from Athens.
“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 recounted to WXIA. “It was senseless. It still don’t make sense.”
The AG’s office told the outlet that Cubillos received a lighter sentence because he did not pull the trigger and cooperated with authorities.
In an interview with WXIA following the shooting, Smith said Kyron had been sick that day, prompting her to stay home from work to care for him. Later that evening, she left to buy his favorite candy at the store and was on her way back when the shooting happened.
“Oh God,” she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. “I still got his gummies and dinner in my car.”
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