Alleged North Richmond 'Swerve Team' gang members convicted of murder

RICHMOND, Calif. - Two men were convicted this week of murder and other charges for a crime spree connected to a North Richmond street gang back in 2016, Contra Costa County prosecutors said Friday.

Marrico Williams, 24, and Torion Young, 23, were part of a gang known as the "Swerve Team" that authorities said were responsible for a string of violent crimes over a six-month period around the county that ended on Sept. 30, 2016, when Williams and others were arrested after a high-speed chase that ended in San Pablo, according to the District Attorney's Office.

Williams, Young and several other members of the gang were indicted in 2017 following an investigation that also included federal and state agencies. An eight-month trial against Williams, Young and Cardell Waters, 26, ended Wednesday with convictions against all three, prosecutors said.

A Contra Costa County Superior Court jury found Williams guilty of two counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, three counts of assault with a firearm, nine robberies, three burglaries, two carjackings, conspiracy, and various enhancements.

Young was found guilty of two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, one count of assault with a firearm, one residential burglary, and various enhancements. Waters was only convicted of conspiracy to possess an illegal firearm, and prosecutors said they are considering whether to retry him on other charges he faced at the trial.

When Williams and Young are sentenced later this year, they both face the possibility of multiple life sentences in prison, according to the District Attorney's Office.