Moreno Valley Man Sentenced in the Shooting Death of a 4-Year-Old Boy in Highland

MORENO VALLEY>> On March 28, 22-year old Darron Daniels faced sentencing for the 2015 shooting death of 4-year old Daniel Munoz of Highland, California. San Bernardino County Superior Court Judge Ronald M. Christianson handed down a sentence of 78 years to life to 22-year-old Darron Daniels. The victim's parents and sister read impact statements prior to the pronouncement of judgement today. "This is a terrible pain for me," said Oscar Munoz, the victim's father. "Once you lose him you will never get him back, but the image of my son will never be erased from my mind." "I was not able to celebrate his fifth birthday, or any upcoming birthdays," said Yuliana Morales, the victim's mother. "I will not see him go to junior high school or high school or college because of this man's actions." Holding up a photo of Daniel at his preschool graduation, his mother added: "This is the last graduation of his I will ever attend." In Nov. 2016, a San Bernardino jury found Daniels guilty of one count of second degree murder and two counts of attempted murder. The jury also found true multiple gun allegations. According to Supervising Deputy District Attorney Jill Gregory, who prosecuted the case, Daniel was the unintended victim of a dispute that occurred between a drug dealer and other men who were gathered across the street from where he was staying at a relative's house. "At the time Daniel was shot and killed, he was in the front yard playing with a stuffed animal," said Gregory. On Dec. 7, Maurice Kelly, 27, of San Bernardino, who also took part in the shooting, was sentenced to six years in state prison. This case was investigated by the San Bernardino County Sheriff Homicide Division.