A 'gun nut' charged for the road rage murder of six-year-old Aiden Leos had his bail revoked on Friday by a judge who called him a 'danger to the community.'
The bail for Marcus Eriz, 24, had been set at $2 million after he was charged with murder for allegedly killing Aiden on a Southern California freeway on May 21 while the young boy was riding in his mother's car.
Larry Yellin, an Orange County Superior Court judge, told attorneys on Friday he was alarmed by an allegation that Eriz also brandished a weapon in a second incident.
'It seems to me that Mr. Eriz is a complete danger to the community,' Yellin said.
Eriz - who has also been charged with shooting into an inhabited vehicle - and his girlfriend Wynne Lee, 23, entered not-guilty pleas through their attorneys while appearing virtually since they are in a mandatory 14-day quarantine in jail.
Lee, who was allegedly driving the car from where Eriz allegedly shot the child, has been charged with being an accessory after the fact and a misdemeanor count of concealing a firearm inside a vehicle.
The defense asked that Lee's bail be set at $50,000 while the prosecution insisted on $500,000. The judge deferred pending a mental health evaluation of Lee.
The horrific incident happened around 8.10am on Friday, May 21, when Aiden was being taken to his kindergarten class at Calvary Chapel Yorba Linda.
Aiden was in the rear of the family car, a Chevrolet Sonic being driven by his mother Joanna Cloonan, when Lee driving a Volkswagen Golf Sportswagen allegedly cut her off while traveling in the car pool lane on State Route 55.
Lee allegedly made a peace sign gesture toward Cloonan after cutting her off and Cloonan then gave Lee the finger while passing her car after changing lanes, The Mercury News reported.
Eriz, who is said to have been in the passenger's seat, then allegedly fired into Cloonan's car - hitting Aiden in the back.
Cloonan pulled over to the side of the road and picked up her boy, cradling him in her arms until an off-duty police office stopped to perform CPR and paramedics arrived on the scene.
Eriz and Lee continued to drive to work before returning home to Costa Mesa, according to The Mercury News. The next week, the couple was in second 'altercation' on the 91 Freeway when Eriz allegedly flashed a gun at another driver.
Prosecutors said that Eriz told investigators that he found out he had allegedly killed Aiden on May 28 - a full week after the boy's death, according to the outlet.
Eriz had reportedly read an online article about Aiden's death when his coworker told him the Volkswagen looked just like one for which cops were searching and he immediately knew he 'was responsible' for the death.
He then hid the car in a relative's garage and started driving his truck to work and changed his appearance - shaving his face and wearing his long hair tied back - while applying for new jobs, The Mercury News reported.
The killing sparked outrage and led hundreds of people to call in tips.
Authorities arrested the couple more than two weeks later outside their Costa Mesa apartment.
