LOS ANGELES, California – Two childhood friends from the East Coast were found guilty of the triple murder of a man and two of his friends in Porter Ranch in 2019. Travis Reid, 44, of Maryland, and Kenneth Peterson, 45, of North Carolina were convicted of first-degree murder for the ambush and shooting of 39-year-old Gary Davidson in his home. They also killed 46-year-old Benny Lopez, of Anaheim, and 34-year-old Jesus Perez, of Perris. The killers did not expect Lopez and Perez to be at Davidson’s home.

Deputy District Attorney Victor Avila revealed that Reid and Peterson had brought suitcases with them under the guise of bringing money to Davidson in exchange for a large shipment of drugs. However, the suitcases contained handguns with silencers attached. The special circumstance allegation of multiple murders, along with gun use allegations against the two, were also found to be true by the jurors.

The motive behind the murders revolved around a drug-trafficking scheme in which Davidson had sent Reid a shipment of cocaine via U.S. Postal Service. When the shipment was seized by inspectors, Reid lost over $370,000 and believed Davidson was stealing from him. The victims were found dead at Davidson’s residence, and Reid and Peterson fled but were later arrested in their home states. They are now facing life in prison without the possibility of parole, with sentencing set for February 9.