Marneysha Hamilton

Marneysha Hamilton was a 25-year-old Black woman from Los Angeles who worked two jobs, for the U.S. Postal Service and FedEx, and was remembered by her mother as having dreams and ambitions. She and her younger sister, Breahna Stines, grew up in Long Beach and were described by family as "beautiful young ladies."

On January 23, 2022, Marneysha was at a party celebrating Breahna’s 20th birthday. The small gathering was held at a short-term rental on the 1300 block of North Park Avenue in Inglewood, California. Around 1:30 a.m., multiple gunmen entered the home and opened fire in what authorities would later call a “targeted ambush.” The hail of gunfire killed four people and critically wounded a fifth. Marneysha Hamilton; her sister, Breahna Stines, 20; Jayden Griffin, 21; and Teron Whittiker Jr., 21, were all fatally shot.

Investigators found shell casings from an assault-style rifle and at least one handgun at the scene. Inglewood’s mayor called the incident the city’s deadliest single act of violence since the 1990s and described the perpetrators as “sociopathic killers.” The attack was believed to be gang-related, as the lone survivor, a man who was critically injured, told police he had gang affiliations.

After a lengthy investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, a Los Angeles County grand jury indicted seven men in August 2023 in connection with a series of fatal shootings. Three of the men, Kendale Taylor, Cory Ervin, and Kalil Santos, were accused of carrying out the Inglewood birthday party massacre. They faced charges including murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder.

In 2025, Cory Ervin and Kalil Santos were convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstances of multiple murders and murder while lying in wait for the four deaths at the party, as well as for other killings. On August 5, 2025, a judge sentenced both men to five consecutive life terms in prison without the possibility of parole, calling their crimes “sickening.” At the sentencing, Marneysha and Breahna’s mother, Tiffney Stines, told the defendants, “I refuse to let you all break me.” Marneysha’s father, Marlon Hamilton, said, “You took my soul … a piece of me.” The case was officially closed as of August 2025.