Man pleads not guilty to murder in 2012 Lancaster brawl that left one man dead

A man on May 26 pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of a Lancaster man during a street melee nearly four years ago, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. 

Cedric Carl Burton Jr., 30, is accused of shooting Brandy Houston, 21, on Nov. 29, 2012. Burton also faces the special circumstance allegations of lying in wait as well as gun and gang allegations. 

Three other men were convicted in 2014 for their involvement in the incident. Terrell Henderson, 24, Randy “Bam” Sullivan, 38, and Joshua Lockett, 23, were found guilty of second-degree murder and are serving prison sentences. 

On Nov. 29, 2012, Houston and his girlfriend got into an argument, and she called her sister for a ride away from the residence the couple shared. Her sister sent her then-boyfriend, Henderson, who arrived with Sullivan and Lockett, according to testimony from the 2014 trial. 

The three me got into an argument with Houston, and a few hours later they returned with Burton. A fight involving about a dozen people then broke out, according to the district attorney's office. 

During the fight, Burton, also known as Dirty Devil, walked through the crowd toward Houston and shot him 12 times, killing him, the prosecutor said. 

The day before Burton was arraigned, Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies arrested  him while he attended a hearing on an unrelated case at the Antelope Valley courthouse. He is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on June 9. 

If convicted, he could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. A decision on whether to seek capital punishment will be made later. 

Contact the Homicide Report. Follow @jeromercampbell and @latimeshomicide on Twitter.