The case involving the tragic Christmas Eve 2016 murder of Christopher and Danielle Brooks trudged towards an end on Thursday with the sentencing of the third of four men who took part in their grisly deaths on that winter day.

On Thursday, Superior Court Judge Steve Cole sentenced 26-year-old Lamarkus Mann to 109 years in prison for the murder/robbery of the couple, while just the day prior, Judge Cole sentenced 26-year-old Savon Wiley to 76 years with 20 suspended for his part in the same crimes. Both defendants were found guilty by jury trial on August 15th of last year.

Their sentencing this week follows the sentencing of Jaylyn Franklin, who received 100 years in prison after pleading to two counts of Murder II in June 2019.

The fourth person involved in the robbery/killings, DeAnthony Harris, who has pleaded not guilty, has a status hearing on November 13th of this year.

It was on that Christmas Eve four years ago that Wiley spawned a plan to rob Christopher Brooks of his marijuana and money and with the other three individuals, all armed and dressed in black, went to the Brooks residence on Peterkin Avenue in Mountain View to carry out their plot. When they entered the residence they demanded Christopher’s money and drugs.

Franklin, who pleaded guilty, told authorities that Christopher told one of the men to “take what he wanted,” while Danielle, who was on the sofa screamed, “Oh my God, oh my God.” The men sent Danielle’s six-year-old son into the bedroom.

Christopher attempted to wrestle Mann’s weapon away from him and was shot, Franklin told investigators. A short time later, Danielle was shot three times and killed “because she was a witness,” Franklin told police. Christopher would be shot a total of 11 times as he attempted to escape the carnage, despite being riddled with bullets, he was still clinging to life when found by police. He was rushed to the hospital, but died a short time later.

When officers arrived at the scene at 4 pm that fateful day, they would also discover Danielle’s six-year-old son wandering the parking lot of the apartment complex. He told responding officers that “Ninjas came to my home and killed my family.”

Franklin was the first to be arrested in connection with the killings and through him, investigators would determine that Mann was the one who pulled the trigger in the killings.

  2016, brooks, christmas, Christopher, danielle, december, eve, franklin, lamarkus mann, murder, robbery, savon wiley, sentencing