Man involved in Lincoln murder brought up for sentencing

On Sept.18, Daniel Morrison, one of two men involved in the October 2017 murder of David Wayne Robles in Lincoln, was brought into the Placer County Superior court to determine his sentencing. On Oct. 28, 2017, Morrison with Jack Moore and two other men who have not been identified, killed Robles at a residence on the 800 block of East 8th Street in Lincoln, according to court findings. Only speculated reasons were initially given as to why the men were there but the proceeding investigation showed that the men were there to commit a robbery of some type. Family members and friends for both Robles and Morrison attended the Sept. 18 hearing. After hearing arguments from the prosecution and the defense, Judge Eugene Gini, Jr. said the court needed to think about the sentencing. "The court has now heard the arguments of the parties and, at this point in time, the court is going to take some time to reflect on the court's obligation in this matter with regard to sentencing, structure of sentencing and so forth," Gini, Jr. said. Assistant District Attorney Jeffery Wilson, the prosecutor, wanted the court to give Morrison eight years in prison. "The People are recommending that the court follow the upper limits of the negotiated disposition of eight years," Wilson said. "We feel that is appropriate in the case and it (justifies) its warrants, even though that Mr. Morrison had a diminished role," Wilson said. The role Wilson referred to is that Morrison drove the car that took Morrison's co-conspirators to Robles' house and he had no further involvement in the murder. According to Wilson, Morrison's admission and feelings of remorse are laid bare by his "incredible mitigation" into his role of being forced by his co-conspirators to drive the vehicle. "A man died because of conspiracy to kill a drug dealer and they didn't even kill the drug dealer," Wilson said. "The tragedy of this is the man, Mr. Robles who was murdered, was merely looking for a place to live and the evidence indicates that he happened to be in that house eating a piece of pie, not doing drugs." Defending Morrison was Public Defender Jonathan Gonzalez, who said that Morrison was forced to drive by his co-conspirators by repeating testimony from Moore. "He told Mr. Morrison to come there on that night and meet them and they made Morrison get into that vehicle and drive to that residence," Gonzalez said. "In an interview, Mr. Moore refers to my client as 'being a little bitch and not wanting to drive.'" The defense asked the court for a sentencing of three years, because "Morrison's involvement was forced and he had no intention of robbing or killing anyone." Morrison's sentencing hearing was to recommence after press time Wednesday at the Placer County Superior Court in Roseville at 10820 Justice Center Drive. Check online Thursday at lincolnnewsmessenger.com for an update.