Men sentenced for role in deadly robbery at Cabazon outlet mall

BANNING, Calif. (KESQ) - A 22-year-old who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in the shooting death of a 66-year-old man at the Desert Hills Premium Outlets in Cabazon was sentenced to 11 years in state prison.

Elijah Ray Burt, 22, was sentenced Friday at the Banning Justice Center. According to the Riverside County District Attorney's office, he was credited 1201 days for time served and ordered to pay $3,000 in restitution.

Burt was arrested along with his twin brother, Emanuel Rick Burt, and a third suspect, Reginald Charles Trice, for the slaying of Michael Moser of Palm Springs in March 2022.

Trice pleaded guilty to murder last week. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 10 at the Riverside Hall of Justice.

Emanuel Burt was convicted in November of conspiracy and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Sheriff's Sgt. Ben Ramirez alleged Trice confronted Moser shortly before 7 p.m. on March 24, 2022, in the 48600 block of Seminole Drive, though the specific location within the mall wasn't provided.

Ramirez said Moser was shot at least once, prompting calls to 911, after which deputies and paramedics converged on the location. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no sign of the defendants when deputies reached the mall. However, Ramirez said over the ensuing weeks, detectives developed leads pointing to Trice as one of the alleged assailants. A warrant was obtained and served at his residence in the 15500 block of Morada Road on April 21, 2022, according to the sheriff's spokesman.   

The defendant was taken into custody without incident.

The brothers were identified and named in the criminal complaint after Trice's arrest.

They were tracked down and taken into custody in Las Vegas at the end of April 2022. A month later, they were returned to Riverside County.   

None of the men had documented prior felony convictions in Riverside County.

Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates.