SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Two men killed another man in Sacramento County after arguing with him over social media, officials said. They were sentenced last week, respectively, to 75 years to life and 50 years to life in prison.
According to the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office, the incident started after a social media argument between Elijah Utsey and the victim, Terrance Hanes, on July 1, 2022.
Officials said Utsey posted the line, "On everything I love I will leave you slumped" to his Instagram page. By July 4, Hanes was found shot to death.
Officials said 17 shell casings were found from two separate guns and Hanes was shot more than 10 times.
While authorities didn't recover the guns, officials said Utsey spoke with Hanes in the past and also traveled to his home with Joshua Berry on the day of the murder.
Officials said Utsey and Berry were caught on camera driving up to Hanes' home in Berry's red Mitsubishi and walking toward it. Not long afterward, gunshots rang out and the two men ran back to the car and took off.
After the deadly shooting, authorities said both men switched phones and cell phone numbers. Officials added that Berry stopped driving his Mitsubishi and Utsey messaged friends over social media telling them he had to switch out his gun.
They were ultimately convicted by a jury on Aug. 17, 2023 of first-degree murder and other charges, including that both of them had fired a gun and that Utsey had a prior strike conviction for first-degree burglary. Utsey was sentenced to 75 years to life in prison and Berry was sentenced to 50 years to life.
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