2 convicted of murder in shooting of Moreno Valley boxer

Two men were convicted of murder this week in the 2020 slaying of a Moreno Valley boxer who had been signed by one of the legends of that sport, Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Lee Albert Mooring, 34, and Andre Dimitri Richee, 29, both of Moreno Valley, were also convicted of attempted murder on Monday, Aug. 22, in the wounding of two teenage boys, Riverside Superior Court records show. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 28.

Daniel Gonzalez, 22, was killed on Sept. 7, 2020, in Moreno Valley, authorities said, and the two minors suffered wounds that were not life-threatening.

A trial brief filed by the District Attorney’s Office said that about 9 p.m. the night Gonzalez was killed, he had gathered with family and friends at the pool at his apartment complex. A white sedan pulled up, and Gonzalez, who was expecting a friend to arrive in a similar car, went out to the street. But no friends were inside. One passenger stuck his head out of a window and asked, “Who do you bang with?”

Gonzalez and his brother replied that they were not gang members, and the car drove off. It drove past them five minutes later, and then 10 minutes later, it pulled up, and the occupants fired. Gonzalez was killed by a gunshot to his head. The boys were shot in the legs.

Investigators identified the car as well as Mooring and Richee from business’ surveillance video, the trial brief stated. One video showed them arriving at a liquor store about 15 minutes before the shooting and purchasing a 12-pack of Heineken beer.

Investigators went to Richee’s home, where his girlfriend said Richee admitted shooting the victims. She didn’t believe him, according to prosecutors, until she saw him bleaching the clothes he had worn that day. The girlfriend identified Mooring and Richee in the videos.

Meanwhile, Joseph Lewis Goldsmith dumped the car, the trial brief stated. Two days after the shooting, he contacted a friend and asked to stay with him for a couple of weeks without explanation. Goldsmith handed the keys to the friend and told him to take over the payments, prosecutors said. He admitted a role in the shooting and fled to Texas, where he was arrested two years ago.

Goldsmith, 29, of Riverside, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact on Aug. 12 and was sentenced that day to the time he had already served in jail, said John Hall, a district attorney spokesman.

In 2016, at age 18, Gonzalez signed with Mayweather Promotions. According to Mayweather, Gonzalez had an amateur record of 96-13, fighting his way to winning two Silver Gloves, two Jr. Golden Gloves, Olympic Nationals. He represented the U.S. in various competitions.

Brian Rokos has worked in newspapers since 1985, at the Mountain Democrat in Placerville, News Chronicle in Thousand Oaks, the Cincinnati Post, the Orange County Register and currently The Press-Enterprise/Southern California News Group. Among the major stories he has covered are destructive wildfires, Christopher Dorner’s rampage, the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Chase Merritt murder trial and the Perris torture case.