On the night of August 6, 2016, four-year-old Jennabel Anaya and her mother, Carina Mancera, were tragically shot and killed in Long Beach, California. The incident occurred around 10:20 PM as they were returning home from a shopping trip with Carina's boyfriend, Luis Anaya. As they walked towards their apartment near 9th Street and Locust Avenue, an unknown assailant emerged from the darkness and opened fire.
Carina was pronounced dead at the scene, while Jennabel was critically injured and later succumbed to her injuries at a local hospital.
The investigation into the double murder was intense and thorough. Initially, the police had no leads on the suspect. However, forensic evidence collected from the crime scene eventually led to a breakthrough. On October 31, 2016, DNA evidence linked Brandon Ivan Colbert Jr., a 22-year-old from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the crime. Colbert had been arrested on August 27, 2016, for driving a stolen vehicle, and a DNA swab taken during that arrest matched the evidence from the murder scene.
Colbert was charged with two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of Carina Mancera and Jennabel Anaya, as well as one count of attempted murder for shooting at Luis Anaya, who fortunately was not hit. The charges included special circumstance allegations of lying in wait and multiple murders, which made Colbert eligible for the death penalty. However, prosecutors ultimately decided not to seek the death penalty.
The trial of Brandon Colbert Jr. began in 2018, and he was found guilty on all counts. The court heard harrowing testimonies, including from Luis Anaya, who described the horror of witnessing the murders of his girlfriend and daughter. Colbert, who acted as his own attorney during the trial, showed no remorse for his actions. On February 2, 2018, he was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without the possibility of parole, plus an additional life term for the attempted murder of Luis Anaya and 75 years to life for personally discharging a firearm.
The conviction and sentencing of Brandon Colbert Jr. brought some measure of justice and closure to the grieving families of Carina Mancera and Jennabel Anaya. The case highlighted the relentless efforts of the Long Beach Police Department and the importance of forensic evidence in solving violent crimes.
