MARTINEZ — In a case that partially hinged on messages between gang members in an Instagram group chat, a Contra Costa jury convicted a 20-year-old man of murder and conspiracy in the shooting death of a 17-year-old boy.
Anthony McCoy was convicted Thursday of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the Sept. 4, 2022 shooting death of 17-year-old Anthony Westbrook Jr. He faces a life sentence.
Westbrook was shot and killed near his home on Macaulay Street in Antioch. Police say the shooting was motivated by problems between two Pittsburg gangs called the Bully Boys and Midtown, whose members included McCoy and Westbrook, respectively.
Before the shooting McCoy allegedly texted other Bully Boys members on Instagram about targeting Westbrook and other rivals for shootings.
Deputy District Attorney Kate Dunbar admitted at trial that there was more than one person inside a red Nissan Altima that drove slowly by Westbrook’s house before someone inside opened fire. But argued that GPS phone records proved McCoy was inside the Altima and that the vehicle traveled there to kill Westbrook, regardless of whether McCoy was the driver or the shooter.
Jurors deliberated for about a week before the verdict was reached. During deliberations, a regular juror was excused and switched out with an alternate.
