Executive Summary
- Trezell Lamone Heckard was convicted of first-degree murder and related charges for the 2022 killing of Benjamin Chanes.
- A mistrial was declared for co-defendant Qevon Xavier Harvey after his jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict.
- The incident involved a violent carjacking and kidnapping that ended in a fatal shooting at a Riverside apartment complex.
- Two other defendants face ongoing legal proceedings, with one scheduled for trial and another awaiting sentencing after a guilty plea.
A Riverside County jury has convicted a Vallejo man of first-degree murder while declaring a mistrial for his co-defendant following a deadlock in deliberations regarding the 2022 carjacking and fatal shooting of a 24-year-old resident.
Court records confirmed Monday that Trezell Lamone Heckard, 30, was found guilty on Friday of first-degree murder, robbery, carjacking, and burglary. Jurors also affirmed a special circumstance allegation of killing during the commission of a burglary in the death of Benjamin Chanes. However, the jury deadlocked on separate special circumstance allegations involving kidnapping and robbery.
In the same proceedings, a separate jury weighing the case against co-defendant Qevon Xavier Harvey, 27, of Desert Hot Springs, was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. Riverside County Superior Court Judge Charles Koosed declared a mistrial regarding Harvey after jurors reported an impasse following a week of deliberations. A status conference for Harvey’s retrial is scheduled for Wednesday at the Riverside Hall of Justice.
According to an arrest warrant declaration filed by the Riverside Police Department, the incident occurred on March 6, 2022. Investigators state that Chanes and his girlfriend were returning from Los Angeles when they were confronted by armed men after exiting the freeway. The affidavit alleges the assailants forced Chanes out of his vehicle and ordered his girlfriend into a waiting Chevrolet Impala.
Police reports detail that the victims were transported to the Boulder Creek Apartment Complex on Iowa Avenue, where they were forced into Chanes’ apartment. While the residence was being ransacked, Chanes attempted to flee the premises. The affidavit alleges that a third defendant, Anthony Antoine Wright, 33, pursued the victim and opened fire, striking Chanes multiple times in the back. Chanes later succumbed to his injuries at Riverside Community Hospital.
Wright, who is charged with murder, carjacking, kidnapping, and burglary, along with special circumstance allegations and firearm enhancements, is tentatively scheduled to begin trial proceedings on Wednesday. A fourth defendant, Kahlin Cynque Erwin, 30, pleaded guilty earlier this year to kidnapping and is awaiting sentencing.
Judicial Proceedings & Legal Ramifications
The split outcomes in this multi-defendant case highlight the complexities of joint prosecutions where individual culpability is weighed separately by different juries. Heckard is currently being held without bail at the Smith Correctional Facility pending his sentencing hearing on April 24. Meanwhile, the prosecution must now prepare for a retrial of Harvey and the initial trial of Wright. It is important to note that while Heckard has been convicted, Harvey and Wright remain presumed innocent regarding the pending charges until proven guilty in a court of law.
