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Mother fights for justice after daughter dies in 880 freeway shooting
Eliyanah's mother, Sophia Crisostomo, says her family has been forever changed by that freeway shooting in 2023. She hopes the district attorney’s office will take steps to protect other families from the same fate. KTVU's Tori Gaines reports.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The case of a freeway shooting on Interstate 880 that left a five-year-old girl named Eliyanah Crisostomo dead in 2023 is heading to court on Wednesday. All three suspects in the shooting face murder charges with gang and gun enhancements.
When former Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price filed charges in the case, she chose not to add special circumstances enhancements to the charges. A legal expert tells KTVU without those enhancements, the suspects could walk the streets again someday, even if convicted.
Eliyanah's mother, Sophia Crisostomo says her family has been forever changed by that freeway shooting in 2023. She hopes the district attorney’s office will take steps to protect other families from the same fate.
Crisostomo says the horrific day she lost her daughter feels like yesterday.
"We will never recover. The pain will never go away, we just learn to live with it," Crisostomo told KTVU.
Though the suspects in the shooting face murder charges, Crisostomo says that’s not enough.
"There are some crimes that you can rehabilitate the criminals, but there’s no coming back from killing a child at all," she said.
The three suspects have been detained in Alameda County since they were arrested in April of 2023. They will be in a Dublin courtroom on Wednesday, where a judge will begin hearing evidence to determine if the case will move forward to trial.
"I hope they get life without the possibility of parole. That’s what’s deserved. Why gamble with the future of other children’s lives?" Crisostomo said.
The recall of former DA Price has made Crisostomo’s fight for justice more complicated, and she’s unsure what to expect from the new team handling the case.
Interim District Attorney for Alameda County, Royl Roberts, has not made it clear whether he will follow in Price’s footsteps in limiting special circumstances enhancements.
"I realized that the voters have spoken, and I think it’s important that we listen to the voices of those that have spoken," Royl Roberts told KTVU in December.
Crisostomo says her family will never be the same after the tragic loss of her daughter, but she still finds ways to keep Eliyanah close. She wore Minnie Mouse nails this week; Minnie was Eliyanah's favorite.
The day Eliyanah died, she got her nails done with her mom. Crisostomo says she still visits the same nail technician, in memory of her daughter. Crisostomo also wears a necklace, to keep her daughter's memory near her heart.
"Always, she’s right here," she said.
We reached out to the Alameda County DA’s Office, but we have not yet heard back.
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