CHICO, CA (MPG) - A 24-year-old Chico gang member was convicted recently in the 2021 robbery-homicide of a 24- year-old Chico disc jockey. A Butte County jury returned a verdict after approximately four hours of deliberation, finding Diontanae Jerome Tillman guilty of first-degree felony murder, second-degree murder, and robbery. The jury also found Tillman personally used a firearm when Tillman robbed the victim of his property and his life. 

The jury found that Kevin Murillo, 24, a local disc jockey known as “DJ Kam”, was murdered on January 5, 2021, when Tillman set up a fake drug transaction to lure Murillo into meeting with Tillman and selling Tillman cocaine. The evidence showed that Tillman, believing Murillo to be an easy target, brought a .40 caliber handgun and attempted to steal narcotics from Murillo. 

Surveillance footage at the arranged meeting spot in the parking lot of the 7-11 store on Walnut Avenue in Chico showed Tillman getting into the passenger seat of Murillo’s vehicle and shots being fired about a minute later. Tillman then fled the scene of the crime, being driven away in a separate vehicle by a co-defendant, Max Escobar, 23. Escobar had pleaded guilty prior to Tillman’s trial to being an accessory after the fact for acting as a getaway driver from the scene and was given probation at the time.

A good Samaritan, who was in his car in the 7-11 parking lot, had seen Murillo’s car lurch forward and high center on a planter at the edge of the parking lot. Seeing a black car fleeing from the scene, the good Samaritan thought he had just witnessed a hit-and-run DUI incident and followed the black car and blocked its path some blocks away until the Chico Police officers were able to detain and arrest its occupants – Escobar and Tillman. Unfortunately, Murillo was pronounced deceased at the scene in his car. 

With assistance from local California Department of Justice criminalists, investigators were able to determine bullet trajectories inside Murillo’s vehicle. That evidence showed Tillman fired at least 14 rounds, striking Murillo 12 times. It also showed Murillo was able to fire one round from a gun he had, ineffectively striking the ceiling of his vehicle, before bouncing off and hitting Tillman’s shoulder, leaving a bruise.

In an interview that night with Chico police detectives, Tillman admitted he met up with Murillo to rob him, but claimed Murillo pulled his own firearm and shot at Tillman first. At trial, Tillman testified on his own behalf that Murillo pulled his gun out and shot at Tillman first, and it was actually Murillo who was robbing him. Tillman also claimed in his testimony that the Chico detectives pressured him into admitting he went to the 7-11 to commit a robbery and that he was actually high on drugs at the time of his interview. 

The trial prosecutor, Butte County Deputy District Attorney DJ Lee, pointed out to the jury that Tillman’s story was inconsistent with the forensic bullet trajectory evidence. Lee pointed out that the trajectory of Murillo’s bullet into the ceiling of his own car was inconsistent with Murillo shooting first, and the trajectory of Tillman’s bullets suggested almost an execution-style shooting. 

Lee pointed to text messages and social media evidence from Tillman’s cell phone that corroborated Tillman’s initial admission to detectives that he intended to rob Murillo, and showed the jury Tillman’s videotaped interview with the Chico detectives to debunk the idea Tillman was pressured or under the influence of drugs. Additional evidence from Tillman’s phone showed he intended to rob Murillo the night before, but Murillo’s supplier ran out of products and the meeting was canceled. Evidence of other robberies by Tillman was also introduced before the jury.

Finally, Lee presented evidence that while awaiting trial in Butte County Jail, Tillman had gotten a teardrop tattooed on his right cheek signifying that he had killed a person.

Lee argued before the jury that under California felony murder law, when a person intends to commit a felony, such as a robbery, and a killing occurs, even accidentally, the killer is criminally liable for first-degree felony murder. 

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey noted the California legislature recently severely limited the felony murder law, making it inapplicable to accomplices, such as getaway drivers like Escobar. 

Ramsey thanked the jury for their patience and attention to detail during the trial that stretched over six weeks. Ramsey noted that it is only through the diligence and dedication of local prosecutors and juries that justice can be served, and criminals held accountable for their actions. 

Tillman faces multiple life sentences for the murder of Kevin Murillo, as well as for the use of a firearm in the commission of the crime. Tillman’s sentencing is scheduled for May 1, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. in Oroville.