Jurors in a Contra Costa County courtroom were shown a chilling Ring-camera video today that prosecutors say captures the moment a Vallejo man pulled a gun, chased down, and fatally shot 27-year-old Richard Morello Jr. outside a southeast Antioch home. Morello, who performed under the name $mooth, was pronounced dead about 15 minutes after midnight on Aug. 25, 2025, and left behind a wife and two young children. In opening statements, the prosecutor did not soften the blow, warning jurors: “You are about to see a man getting shot to death.”
What jurors saw
Prosecutors played footage from a neighbor’s surveillance system that they say shows a man identified by police as Jesus Soto pulling a pistol, chasing Morello, and firing at least twice after Morello fell to the ground. The audio on the clip captured what Soto reportedly said immediately after the shots, and prosecutors used the video to walk jurors step by step through the state’s version of the timeline.
As reported by The Mercury News, the Ring footage and related evidence sat at the center of the prosecution’s opening narrative.
Arrest and search
Stockton police arrested 37-year-old Jesus Soto two days after the Aug. 25 shooting, following an Antioch investigation that led officers to execute a search warrant at a Vallejo address, where they seized evidence. Authorities also collected items from a vehicle Soto was in when he was taken into custody.
Local coverage of the arrest and warrant work was detailed by CBS Bay Area.
Defense and the night’s timeline
Soto’s attorney, William Welch, told jurors the shooting was an act of self-defense and said the revolver used that night was lawfully owned and registered. Prosecutors, for their part, told the panel that the violence was the grim coda to a music-video shoot earlier that evening at the Antioch waterfront, where Morello and Soto had appeared together, and that things later flared outside the Antioch home.
The victim, known locally by his stage name $mooth, left behind a wife and two children, according to The Mercury News.
Antioch context and community reaction
The case unfolds in a city already on edge over violent crime. Antioch recorded 16 homicides in 2024, making it one of the city’s deadliest recent years. Neighbors told reporters they were rattled by the late-night shooting and urged anyone with information to talk to police.
Coverage of the initial incident and the neighborhood’s response was chronicled as the Antioch community seeks answers.
Legal implications and what’s next
Soto is charged with murder and is standing trial in Contra Costa County, where the judge will decide what evidence jurors ultimately get to see and hear. Prosecutors have framed the Ring-camera video as the spine of their case, while the defense insists the recording fits a story of self-defense, not cold-blooded killing.
Early reporting on the arrest and charges appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Jury proceedings are ongoing, with more court dates expected in the coming weeks as both sides call witnesses and present forensic and video evidence. Antioch police have asked anyone with tips to contact investigators as the case moves forward. This story will be updated as new filings and hearings surface in court.
