SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — A West Sacramento man was convicted Wednesday of fatally shooting a mother of four back in July 2020.
According to the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office, Mandiko Kwadzo was convicted of first-degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm.
He now faces 53 years to life in prison. Sentencing is set for Sept. 6, 2024.
The murder conviction stems from a deadly shooting that happened on July 27, 2020.
According to the district attorney’s office, West Sacramento police officers responded to reports of a shooting and then a witness saw Carliena Clayton and Kwadzo arguing on the driveway.
Clayton got into the car and with her four children and Kwadzo in the passenger seat. Officers found evidence of a shooting inside the home.
That night a man was at Cliff’s Marina when he heard a gunshot and car crash into the Sacramento River. He called a friend and the two saw Clayton’s car partially submerged while Kwadzo was standing nearby.
The two men saved all four children from the backseat and got them to safety.
Investigators believed it was a car accident until her 6-year-old told them Kwadzo shot Clayton. She was shot twice in the head and the gun was never found.
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