Co-conspirator will unmask Fresno man as disguised shooter in 2018 murder, prosecutors say

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A murder investigation led police from an east central Fresno apartment to an arrest in Visalia, but the man now on trial claims only liars are saying he pulled the trigger.

A masked man shot and killed Lorenzo McCray, Junior, during a robbery one year ago.

The woman who was with him admitted to manslaughter, and she says the man behind the mask was Damone Mayberry.

Fresno police couldn't help McCray when they found him in his apartment last September.

"There was a lot of blood," said Sgt. Ezequiel Suarez. "It looked like he had an injury to the back of his head."

McCray's girlfriend had limped out of the apartment after a robber shot her in the leg, and she called for help.

She told police the man wore a mask, but she could tell he was tall and African-American when she saw him sneak up on McCray.

"He walks into the kitchen, right behind Lorenzo, and puts the gun to the back of his head," the second victim testified.

"And then what happened?" asked prosecutor Nathan Lambert.

"He shoots him in the back of the head," she said.

McCray walked into the kitchen to get some marijuana for a frequent customer.

Prosecutors say the customer was Gypsy Hall and the shooter was her boyfriend, Damone Mayberry.

"Gypsy Hall went with him," said Lambert. "She assisted in this robbery and she did anything the defendant told her to do or wanted to do. But not anymore."

Police tracked Hall and Mayberry to Visalia and arrested them there, finding some of McCray's belongings mixed with theirs.

Hall pleaded guilty to manslaughter and she'll testify in Mayberry's murder trial.

Prosecutors say she and a teenage relative who was along for the robbery will unmask Mayberry as the shooter, but the defense says they're the only ones and have a motive to lie.

"The evidence is going to show those two individuals are certainly not to be believed and they're not credible witnesses," said defense attorney Richard Beshwate.

The trial is expected to take about two weeks and Gypsy Hall is scheduled to testify Tuesday.