BY: DARRELL R. SANTSCHI
pe.com
Two Hemet men were convicted Friday, Sept. 7, in the killing of a former motorcycle club member two years ago.
A Riverside County Superior Court jury in French Valley found Jason Michael Schlig guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and a gun-related charge. Cody Robert Young, 28, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and a gun-related charge.
A third defendant, Shawn Daniel Spicher, 28, who was a Marine stationed in Twentynine Palms at the time of the killing, was acquitted of being an accessory. He still faces charges related to an explosive device that officers found during a search of his home after the killing.
The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Jess F. Walsh, said Schlig faces a maximum sentence of from 100 years to life in prison and Young faces up to 21 years in prison when they are sentenced Nov. 2.
Todd Brown, 44, was shot in his pickup in Valle Vista as he was trying to drive away from a confrontation that pitted the defendants against him, his adult son, Tyler, and two of his son’s friends.
On Aug. 27, Walsh told jurors in his closing arguments that the murder was about “anger, revenge and pride.”
Prosecutors said Brown was once involved with the Vagos Motorcycle Club, but not for several years before his death. Schlig and Spicher were members of the Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. Walsh said outside court Friday that Young was Schlig’s best friend.
Several months before Todd Brown was killed, Tyler Brown and one of his friends had gotten into a confrontation with Spicher at the bar formerly known as Tap Daddy’s in San Jacinto. Tyler Brown called his father for help and the pair fought Spicher, a security guard, outside of the bar.
Tensions simmered. Walsh said witnesses testified that the day of the shooting, Schlig said he wanted to kill Todd Brown, and that Schlig and Young had armed themselves before going out in search of Brown.
On Aug. 29, 2010, Todd and Tyler Brown, along with the two friends, saw Schlig and Spicher riding motorcycles near Lincoln and Palm avenues. Three of them fought with Spicher when an SUV and a car pulled up, blocking in Todd Brown’s truck.
Todd Brown tried to get in his truck to drive away when the fatal shot was fired. The truck crashed into a fence and tree.
Schlig’s SUV was found with two Kevlar vests inside and Spicher was wearing a bullet-proof vest when deputies found him pushing his motorcycle into a mobile home park.
Walsh said after the trial that he was “happy with the verdict. These defendants were the aggressors and Todd was not. He was the victim.”
Brown’s sister, Kelly Brown Warren, said outside court that she was pleased with the guilty verdicts, but “we’re very unhappy with the fact that Shawn Spicher was acquitted. He was the nexus of this whole thing.”
She said she believes the confrontation was generated by a dispute between Spicher and another man who was in the vehicle over a girl they both had dated.
“The defense made this out like my brother was a current member of the Vagos, that this was only a rivalry between two motorcycle clubs. My brother had not been a member of the Vagos since 2006,” she said.
“They made him (Todd Brown) out to be a man everyone was afraid of,” Warren said. “He was a quiet giant. Everyone called him Big Todd.”
Walsh had sought first-degree murder convictions of Schlig and Young, but the jury acquitted on those charges.
The prosecutor said jurors were likely dissuaded from first-degree convictions after defendants testified that they “were reacting to a flight” at the scene of the crime and that there was insufficient evidence presented at the trial to convince the jury the killing was premeditated.
“I believe Mr. Schlig wanted to kill Todd Brown that day,” Walsh said. “He made statements to that effect.”
Also contributing to this story: Staff writer Kevin Pearson, kpearson@pe.com
A Riverside County Superior Court jury in French Valley found Jason Michael Schlig guilty of second-degree murder, two counts of attempted murder and a gun-related charge. Cody Robert Young, 28, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and a gun-related charge.
A third defendant, Shawn Daniel Spicher, 28, who was a Marine stationed in Twentynine Palms at the time of the killing, was acquitted of being an accessory. He still faces charges related to an explosive device that officers found during a search of his home after the killing.
The prosecutor, Deputy District Attorney Jess F. Walsh, said Schlig faces a maximum sentence of from 100 years to life in prison and Young faces up to 21 years in prison when they are sentenced Nov. 2.
Todd Brown, 44, was shot in his pickup in Valle Vista as he was trying to drive away from a confrontation that pitted the defendants against him, his adult son, Tyler, and two of his son’s friends.
On Aug. 27, Walsh told jurors in his closing arguments that the murder was about “anger, revenge and pride.”
Prosecutors said Brown was once involved with the Vagos Motorcycle Club, but not for several years before his death. Schlig and Spicher were members of the Brotherhood Motorcycle Club. Walsh said outside court Friday that Young was Schlig’s best friend.
Several months before Todd Brown was killed, Tyler Brown and one of his friends had gotten into a confrontation with Spicher at the bar formerly known as Tap Daddy’s in San Jacinto. Tyler Brown called his father for help and the pair fought Spicher, a security guard, outside of the bar.
Tensions simmered. Walsh said witnesses testified that the day of the shooting, Schlig said he wanted to kill Todd Brown, and that Schlig and Young had armed themselves before going out in search of Brown.
On Aug. 29, 2010, Todd and Tyler Brown, along with the two friends, saw Schlig and Spicher riding motorcycles near Lincoln and Palm avenues. Three of them fought with Spicher when an SUV and a car pulled up, blocking in Todd Brown’s truck.
Todd Brown tried to get in his truck to drive away when the fatal shot was fired. The truck crashed into a fence and tree.
Schlig’s SUV was found with two Kevlar vests inside and Spicher was wearing a bullet-proof vest when deputies found him pushing his motorcycle into a mobile home park.
Walsh said after the trial that he was “happy with the verdict. These defendants were the aggressors and Todd was not. He was the victim.”
Brown’s sister, Kelly Brown Warren, said outside court that she was pleased with the guilty verdicts, but “we’re very unhappy with the fact that Shawn Spicher was acquitted. He was the nexus of this whole thing.”
She said she believes the confrontation was generated by a dispute between Spicher and another man who was in the vehicle over a girl they both had dated.
“The defense made this out like my brother was a current member of the Vagos, that this was only a rivalry between two motorcycle clubs. My brother had not been a member of the Vagos since 2006,” she said.
“They made him (Todd Brown) out to be a man everyone was afraid of,” Warren said. “He was a quiet giant. Everyone called him Big Todd.”
Walsh had sought first-degree murder convictions of Schlig and Young, but the jury acquitted on those charges.
The prosecutor said jurors were likely dissuaded from first-degree convictions after defendants testified that they “were reacting to a flight” at the scene of the crime and that there was insufficient evidence presented at the trial to convince the jury the killing was premeditated.
“I believe Mr. Schlig wanted to kill Todd Brown that day,” Walsh said. “He made statements to that effect.”
Also contributing to this story: Staff writer Kevin Pearson, kpearson@pe.com