Six Dead, Two On Trial: Inside Sacramento's Deadliest Night

Four years after Sacramento’s deadliest shooting left six people dead and a dozen more wounded, the courtroom battle to answer how it happened is finally unfolding—and the testimony reveals a night that spiraled from pre-party drinking into something far more sinister.

On the late-night hours of April 3, 2022, the K Street corridor—one of Sacramento’s prime nightlife destinations—became a warzone. Gunfire erupted between groups, and when it stopped, three innocent bystanders had been killed alongside three men who were armed when the shooting started: 21-year-old Johntaya“JoJo”Alexander, 57-year-old Melinda Davis, and 21-year-old Yamile Martinez-Andrade were the victims. The three gunmen killed were 29-year-old DeVazia Turner, 38-year-old Sergio Harris, and 32-year-old Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi. Twelve others sustained injuries.

Now, Mtula Payton and Dandrae Martin stand trial, facing charges tied to the chaos that unfolded that night. A third defendant—Dandrae’s brother, Smiley—died of methadone toxicity while in custody in 2024. The prosecution is building a case around gang-related conflict; the defense argues friends were simply together until an ordinary conversation went sideways and multiple people started firing weapons. The difference between those narratives could determine whether the jury sees calculated violence or a tragic escalation.

Last week’s testimony included a woman identified only as BD, who testified under immunity. She placed herself at the scene—already intoxicated during a pre-party gathering—and confirmed she witnessed the Martin brothers and Hoye-Lucchesi holding guns at some point during the evening. A forensic analyst also testified that gunshot residue was found on the hands of the Martin brothers and Hoye-Lucchesi, though she clarified that such residue doesn’t definitively prove someone fired a gun; it can also result from proximity to someone who did, or even touching something contaminated with residue.

As testimony continues this week, jurors are weighing whether the defendants pulled the trigger—and whether the motive was gang-fueled aggression or something messier and more chaotic. For a city still bearing the scars of that April night four years ago, the verdict will matter.