A wealthy white teen who was allegedly a member of a South Los Angeles street gang and participated in the murder of a black pedestrian has walked free after his lawyers argued that he was "open-minded" to "friends from different backgrounds," CBS Los Angeles reports.
Cameron Terrell, 18, of tony Palos Verdes Estate was a member of a majority-black gang. His nickname was "White Boy" and he sometimes appeared in the background of rap videos.
The white teen admitted that he was with two armed black teens that shot Justin Holmes, 22, because they suspected he was a member of a rival gang and on their turf.
Holmes was not a gang member; he was a black college student.
Terrell parked the getaway car—his father's car—so that the other teens could sneak up on Holmes.
Terrell later recorded video of his fellow gang members kicking over memorial candles that had been left for the victim.
Terrell had faced a $5 million bond and his parents paid $500,000 cash to get him out of jail before trial.
“Cameron Terrell did not possess any weapons, he did not shoot anybody, he was not part of any conspiracy, or any plan or plot. … At best the evidence suggests that Cameron was a witness,” the defense attorney said, adding that his client made a good story because of his “background, his family, where he resides, his school.”
"Rest in peace, Justin Holmes!" he yelled into the camera as he left the courtroom. “I don’t have to explain myself to anyone. God knows what really happened that day, and God knows what was in my head that day.”
The black teens who Terrell drove to the killing are still awaiting trial.