Ceres man receives life sentence in Turlock deadly shooting
A Stanislaus County judge has sentenced a 26-year-old Ceres man to 60 years to life in prison for a deadly shooting at a Turlock apartment complex.
A jury on Aug. 25 found Devenae Price guilty of murder in the death of Falane Jones, 37, who was gunned down April 23, 2016. Price’s conviction included enhancements for using a gun in the murder and being a felon in possession of a gun.
The shooting occurred at the Villas Parkside apartments in the 300 block of West Hawkeye Avenue. Witnesses told investigators that a black car pulled into the parking lot of the complex.
Jones was with his uncle visiting another relative at the apartment complex when he was shot four times in the face, neck and chest.
Price was sentenced Oct. 31, the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office announced Monday afternoon. At his sentencing hearing, Jones’ mother spoke to the judge about the impact of his death.
The mother told the judge that Jones was a single father of a 9-year-old girl, according to prosecutors. Jones’ mother said her son worked hard to feed, clothe and raise his only daughter. She said her son was mistaken for someone else when he was shot to death.
Deputy District Attorney Jeff Mangar prosecuted the case against Price and asked the court to hand down the maximum sentence. Prosecutors said Superior Court Judge Marie Silveira agreed with Mangar and sentenced Price to 60 years to life in prison.
Kevin Jerome Barnes Jr., 21, of Modesto, was Price’s co-defendant in the murder trial that ended Aug. 25. Barnes was found guilty of being an accessory in Jones’ murder. Barnes remains in custody at the county jail, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled Dec. 8.
Prosecutors said Price was on parole when he killed Jones after serving a seven-year prison sentence for armed robbery in Contra Costa County. Price had been released from prison 35 days before the Turlock shooting.
Three days after the shooting, an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy in San Leandro spotted Price in a black Lexus. The deputy tried to pull over the Lexus, which was straddling two lanes.
The car failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The chase ended when Price crashed the vehicle into a home, according to authorities. Four people ran from the crashed vehicle. The deputies captured three of them, including Price, Kelley Trezvant and Deanadranae Campbell.
A few weeks later, San Francisco police found and arrested Barnes.
This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 10:57 PM with the headline "Ceres man receives life sentence in Turlock deadly shooting."