A Torrance woman pleaded no contest to voluntary manslaughter and three counts of felony assault with a firearm for her role in the death of 30-year-old Melota Lemafa Lasi Jr., known by his rap name Cutty Banks, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.
Amanda Young, 29, was accused of beginning a “street investigation” into the death of her boyfriend, Lewis Reupena, and incorrectly identifying Lasi Jr. — who was found shot and killed in San Mateo in December 2020 — as responsible, police said.
She was set to go to trial for murder Aug. 4, Wagstaffe said, but took a plea deal instead, and will be receiving 17 years in state prison for the crime. The official sentencing hearing will be held Aug. 21, so Lasi Jr.’s family can offer victim impact statements.
Isaiah Reupena, 37, Lewis Reupena’s brother, already received life in state prison without the possibility of parole for Lasi Jr.’s murder. He was found guilty by a jury in June for first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
The jury found that Reupena shot and killed Lasi Jr. outside Wells Fargo Bank at the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo at around 9:30 a.m. Dec. 19, 2020.
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