A notorious Oakland gang member accused of gunning down three people, including a potential witness to another shooting, at the age of 18 has been offered a shocking plea deal, reducing his original life sentence from 75 to just 15 years.
As part of the plea bargain, offered by Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price, Delonzo Logwood, 31, will waive voluntary manslaughter and personal use of a weapon.
Logwood was accused of murdering Eric Ford, 22, Zaire Washington, 24, and Richard Carter, 30, in separate Oakland shootings in 2008. The charges for two of the murders were reportedly dropped as part of the plea bargain, Local News Matters reported.
Alameda County Superior Court Judge Mark McCannon told the San Francisco Chronicle that given the unusual nature of the conditions and the drastically reduced sentence, he needed more time to consider whether to opt out.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has offered a shocking plea deal to a notorious Oakland gang member accused of shooting dead three people
in one opinion The progressive district attorney, released by Price, wrote that the Logwood case was a “difficult case in every respect.”
“Given the evidence and age of the cases, our office has concluded that it is in the interests of the judiciary to settle the charges against Logwood with a plea for multiple crimes related to the murder of Eric Ford,” she wrote.
Logwood has been incarcerated since 2009 and “will be serving additional years on plea bargaining” from the Santa Rita Jail, where he has been since 2015.
It remains unclear whether this would mean the convicted killer would serve an additional 15 years or be released within the year, having already served 14 years.
“Contrary to critical comments from the bank, Logwood has expressed extreme remorse for his behavior as a teenager and has readily agreed to publicly apologize to the families affected by his behavior and to the residents of Alameda County,” the statement continued.
McCannon said he would tentatively approve the proposed plea deal for Logwood, but made it clear he needed more convincing before his final appointment.
“I haven’t seen any regrets. I’ve never seen a case like this before,” said McCannon, a former prosecutor who was appointed to the bank in 2013.
“I know he was young at the time, but I have to hear that he has matured and changed.”
Price continued that the mission is to “stop community violence,” adding that “the killing must stop.”
Logwood was accused of murdering Eric Ford, 22, Zaire Washington, 24 (pictured) and Richard Carter, 30, in separate shootings in Oakland in 2008. Charges for two of the murders were reportedly dropped as part of the plea bargain
It remains unclear whether this would mean Logwood would serve an additional 15 years or be released within the year, having already served 14 years
The controversial plea drew criticism from the victims’ families, who told Local News Matters that Price “doesn’t listen” to them and is “too soft on crime.”
Logwood was allegedly part of the Ghost Town gang, a subgroup of the P-Team gang, according to a testimony by acting Oakland Police Captain Tony Jones in 2018.
Logwood was charged along with 30-year-old Dijon Holifield on five murders in 45 days in 2008.
Holifield, who was 17 at the time, was charged in a juvenile court, records show.
It has been claimed that the crimes were committed to further the interests of the ghost town.
Prosecutors also linked the couple to several other violent crimes, including the nonfatal shooting of a would-be witness and a series of armed robberies, the Mercury News reported.
Washington was assassinated on June 30, 2008. Three weeks after his death, he was scheduled to testify against Logwood’s half-brother in an unrelated shooting case.
Ford was killed in a car at a gas station the next day. Police called it a “homicide” case, with Logwood and Holifield both accepting money and claiming that Logwood shot Ford while Holifield looked out.
Carter was shot and killed in an attempted carjacking on July 31, 2008.
Price, who brokered the deal, was chosen after promising to give younger defenders a break.
Price, who brokered the deal, was chosen after promising to give younger defenders a break
A county down, however, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was elected after a wave of voter dissatisfaction with the way things had been done under her progressive predecessor Chesa Boudin (pictured).
She is associated with a national movement of progressives trying to reduce mass incarceration and drive reforms at the county level by competing for the highest prosecutor’s seats.
Price also said she will tease people facing life without parole and prosecute police misconduct.
One of her first actions after taking office was to reopen investigations into eight police shootings and deaths in custody, including two cases more than a decade old.
Price defeated her moderate opponent to become Alameda County’s first black female district attorney in 2022.
One district down, however, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins was elected after a wave of voter dissatisfaction with the way things had been done under her progressive predecessor, Chesa Boudin.
Voters removed Boudin, arguing that his progressive reforms were too lenient and made the city less safe.
Boudin was elected after promising to hold police officers accountable for wrongdoing, tackle prison overcrowding and create guidelines for a more racially just criminal justice system.
But the political winds began to change about a year into his tenure as pandemic-related fears of a perceived rise in crime began to take hold.
Although reported crimes declined overall during his tenure, a surge in crimes such as home burglaries and a series of shocking crimes committed by those already arrested under Boudin’s supervision stoked a sense of lawlessness in the city.
Critics also accused his office of mismanagement and the many employees who resigned during his tenure.
The final split for the recall vote was 55-45 in favor of Jenkins.