VICTORVILLE — Two men charged in the 2015 shooting death of Julian Kilgore — a 23-year-old music producer from Apple Valley — have been convicted of murder.Arieon Shoulders, 22, and Richard Nedd, 22, both of Victorville, were found guilty of murder, attempted murder and two counts each of robbery by separate juries just over four months after court proceedings began in May.
Nedd was also found guilty of being in possession of a firearm, court records show. Mari Kilgore, Julian’s mother, expressed gratitude to all the agencies who worked on her son’s case, and gave special thanks to Detective Adam Salsberry and Deputy District Attorney Jason Wilkinson.“With the media constantly focusing on the negative with law enforcement,” she said, “it's nice to know that when law enforcement comes together, crimes can be solved. We’re so thankful they caught these guys as fast as they did and (for) bringing them to a conviction.”Julian Kilgore’s sister, Krystin, told the Daily Press on Friday the convictions shocked her.“I knew (Shoulders) would get convicted, but hearing it was crazy,” Krystin Kilgore said. “The jury for Shoulders went into deliberations at 4:15 (p.m. on Sept. 14) and had a verdict at 4:30, but wanted to sleep on it. And they came back the next day with the guilty verdict.”One day later, another jury concluded its deliberations, but took longer, according to Krystin Kilgore.“I was worried they wouldn’t convict (Nedd),” she said, “but when they came back and read the verdict I thought, ‘Oh, my god.’ It feels like a weight has been lifted because this whole time I have had to go to court and see pictures and autopsies. Those are images I can’t get out of my head. Now I can remember him as a brother instead of a case.”On the night of Aug. 6, 2015, Julian Kilgore was living in the 21000 block of Nisqually Road with his friend Richard Fenton. The pair had recently moved in together, according Mari Kilgore.“My son was trying to get on the right path,” Mari Kilgore said, “and they came in and altered our family forever. For a senseless act.”
Deputies from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Apple Valley Station were first called to the housing complex around 9:25 p.m. after reports of a shooting, according to a previous Daily Press report. At the scene, they found Julian Kilgore and Fenton suffering from gunshot wounds. Both were taken to local hospitals. Fenton survived, but Kilgore died roughly one hour after he was shot.
Krystin Kilgore previously told the Daily Press she believed her brother was the victim of a music deal gone wrong after he and Fenton organized a "random Facebook meeting" to sell music.
On Friday, she said it was revealed in court that Shoulders, Nedd and Rayvon Tarpley — who Krystin Kilgore claimed was the shooter — came to rob Fenton and Julian Kilgore was present because he lived with his friend.
Tarpley, 25, of Victorville, was shot and killed in Adelanto on Sept. 22, 2015, in an incident authorities described at the time as accidental, according to a previous Daily Press report. But Shoulders was arrested the day after Julian Kilgore’s death and Nedd was arrested on Sept. 30, 2015, after sheriff's officials named him and Tarpley suspects following further investigation.
“They shot (Julian) so many times,” Krystin Kilgore said. “I keep trying to make it in my mind that maybe they made a mistake, but they shot him five times in his back. So that obviously means he was running away and they just kept shooting at him. They don’t have to pull the trigger to be the killers.”
Witnesses stated that Julian Kilgore was outside when the shooting occurred, according to his sister, who said no one knows what was said, but her brother started running to a neighbor’s for help and was shot in the back as a result.
“It’s the most cowardly way you could shoot someone,” Krystin Kilgore said. To make matters worse, Krystin Kilgore said Julian Kilgore’s 3-year-old daughter, Makayla, was in the house as her father was being shot outside.
Makayla will turn 5 in November.
“She’s getting better,” Krystin Kilgore said. “In the beginning, she wouldn’t talk about her dad ... She would tell us that the bad guys killed her daddy. She’ll give little details. When she does talk about him it’s very short. She was very close to her dad.”
Krystin Kilgore said a part of her was conflicted upon hearing the guilty verdicts.
“I hate them,” she said, “but the weird thing is, like, yeah, they killed my brother in a brutal ... way, but if that were my brother and he got caught up in that, I would feel so scared for him. I don’t want my brother dead, but I wouldn’t want him in jail for the rest of his life. That’s worse than death. They’re so young. I know Shoulders has a kid. I feel for them, but I know they don’t have any remorse.”
Both Shoulders and Nedd have sentencings scheduled for Dec. 2, court records show. Mari Kilgore confirmed she will deliver a victim impact statement. Krystin Kilgore has yet to decide if she will speak.
“I can start moving on, I guess,” she said. “Not even moving on. Just trying to live normal without my brother. Now they can think about their decisions for the rest of their lives, too.”