New Zealand grandmother murdered in robbery in affluent coastal town Southern California The city is stressing the urgent need for tougher laws and enforcement to hold criminals accountable, something some lawmakers say is lacking across the state.
Orange County prosecutors have charged three men, one of whom has a prior conviction, with murder in the death of Patricia McKay, 68, who was visiting Newport Beach with her husband, Douglas McKay, a well-known figure in New Zealand who is a non-executive director of National Bank Australia, while they were visiting Fashion Island mall on July 2.
The suspects, Leroy Ernest Joseph McCrary, 26, Malachi Edward Darnell, 18, both of Los Angeles, and Jaden Cunningham, 18, of Lancaster, are charged with murder in special circumstancesMcCrary has previous convictions for crimes, raising questions about why he has not served any prison time.
A sailboat sails into Newport Harbor, past the Balboa Fun Zone Ferris wheel and a panoramic view of the recently snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains after a historic storm dumped heavy snow and rain on Southern California in Newport Harbor, Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“We clearly have a divide between people who commit violent crimes and those who need to be taken off the streets until they can be rehabilitated,” California Rep. Diane Dixon, who previously served as mayor of Newport Beach, told Fox News Digital.
In addition to the murder charge, McCrary is also charged with second-degree murder. attempted theft and eluding reckless driving. Darnell is charged with attempted second-degree robbery, attempted murder and personal use of a firearm, as well as a sentencing enhancement for personal discharge of a firearm. Cunningham is also charged with attempted second-degree robbery.
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A New Zealand tourist was fatally run over by a group of suspects who tried to rob her at gunpoint outside a California fashion mall on Tuesday, sparking a frantic police chase that eventually led to the arrest of the three suspected perpetrators. (Fox 11)
The trio was arrested following a high-speed police chase in Los Angeles County. They face the death penalty. In 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom issued a moratorium on executions.
McCrary has previous convictions for residential burglary in 2018, criminal threats in 2020 and theft in 2023.
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A shirtless suspect emerges and walks backwards toward police with his hands in the air as officers have their guns drawn following a chase following the murder of New Zealand tourist Patricia McKay in Newport Beach, California. (KTTV/Fox11)
“The case against Mr. McCrary encountered significant evidentiary problems, including witnesses who were unable to identify suspects,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital. “As a result, the Airport Court Management Team authorized a plea offer that resulted in Mr. McCrary being placed on suspended probation in state prison.”
The prosecutor’s office noted that the plea deal was approved by a judge, but that McCrary’s alleged actions in Newport Beach were “reprehensible.”
Current Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill has spoken out against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon during a recent appearance on “Fox & Friends.”
“Do your job and identify the real victims,” he said. “The victims are the McKays. The victims are all over your county right now, because you’re not doing your job.”
The McKays were outside a Barnes & Noble bookstore waiting for a taxi when a Toyota Camry pulled up and two masked men got out. One of them pointed a gun at McKay’s head and demanded his watch before forcing him to the ground, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.
When they were unable to recover McKay’s property, Cunningham allegedly attacked Patricia McKaywho was holding several shopping bags. He then allegedly threw her to the ground and dragged her across the street in front of McCrary’s getaway car as he stole her bags.
As she lay in front of the Camry, Douglas McKay tried to jump in front of the car. McCrary then ran over Patricia McKay and dragged her 20 yards, authorities said. Darnell is accused of shooting a good Samaritan who was trying to grab Cunningham, who was running after the vehicle that sped away. He eventually jumped in and the three men fled, authorities said.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is creating a racial justice law section within his office. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Cunningham was arrested after jumping from the vehicle in suburban Cypress, and McCray and Darnell were arrested later after a police chase ended in Los Angeles County.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon called McKay’s murder an “absolute tragedy” and offered his condolences to the family members, whom he knows personally. New Zealand The Department of State and Trade told Fox News Digital that the agency is assisting the McKay family.
Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer placed some blame for the killing on Newsom, a Democrat, and the Democratic-led state legislature.
“Our malls have become hunting grounds for criminals who hunt down innocent shoppers and rob them because our governor and legislature refuse to hold anyone accountable for their actions,” Spitzer said. “Actions have consequences, and it shouldn’t take the death of an elderly woman who was simply enjoying a day of shopping with her husband for our elected leaders in Sacramento to realize that this is the result of their soft-on-crime policies that encourage crime while sacrificing public safety.”
Because of a soft approach to crime, criminals in California feel emboldened to steal and commit violent crimes, the California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones.
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The incident took place outside Barnes & Noble in Newport Beach (Google Maps)
“That’s where we are in California,” he told Fox News Digital. “He (McCrary) was completely emboldened. He never paid the price for his past crimes.”
Jones also cited a recently aborted effort by Newsom and some democrats to pursue an anti-crime referendum proposal aimed at competing with another initiative that would strengthen California’s controversial Proposition 47.
Proposition 47, a ballot initiative approved by voters in 2014, downgraded some lesser felonies to misdemeanors and established a $950 threshold for shoplifting crimes. Proponents say the law has led to an increase in crime and retail theft. Proposition 36 would reform Proposition 47 by increasing penalties and sentences for certain drug and theft offenses, increasing penalties for shoplifters with two or more prior theft convictions, and adding fentanyl to the list of drug offenses.
“We need to get back to a minimum of public safety that gives law enforcement the tools they need to deal with violent criminals,” Dixon said. “If they can be serving their sentences and they can be rehabilitated and reintegrated into the community, fine, but these people who committed this murder, in Newport Beach“were never convicted of their violent crimes.”
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In a statement released shortly after Patricia McKay’s killing, California State Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat who represents Newport Beach, said he was committed to improving public safety.
“We cannot rest until we fully address the twin epidemics of gun violence and rising crime,” he said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Min’s office and the California Democratic Party.
