Vallejo man convicted of voluntary manslaughter of East Contra Costa underground rapper
MARTINEZ — A Vallejo man was convicted of manslaughter, not murder, after a trial where the defense argued he killed the victim in self-defense after a brutal beating inside an Antioch home, court records show.
Jesus Soto, 37, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and a gun enhancement last week in the Aug. 25, 2025 killing of 27-year-old Richard Morello Jr. The voluntary manslaughter charge means jurors determined the killing was unlawful but less serious than murder, either because Soto acted in the “heat of passion” or because he used “imperfect self-defense.”
The killing took place on the front yard of a home on the 200 block of Cobblestone Drive in Antioch, after Soto, Morello, and several others attended a rapper’s music video shoot in downtown Antioch. There was a confrontation inside the residence that spilled outside. Neighbors’ security camera captured the entire thing, showing a nearby resident running for cover as the conflict escalated, and that person yelled at Soto for pulling a gun just before gunshots rang out.
At trial, prosecutors argued Soto shot Morello repeatedly, chasing him down and finishing him off with a final gunshot after an injured Morello was attempting to limp away. Soto’s lawyer, William Welch, said that Soto had just endured a “merciless” beating inside the home and that he was in “fight or flight” mode, calling a psychiatrist to testify about the psychological effects of enduring a physical assault.
Morello, an underground East Contra Costa rapper who went by the stage name $mooth, crawled into the home after being shot but succumbed to his injuries on the kitchen floor. He left behind a wife and two children, who were 6 and 8 when he was killed, according to an online fundraiser.
Soto yelled, “who wants more,” then ran to his pickup truck, bumping into two parked cars as he exited his parking space and returned to his Vallejo apartment. After briefly stopping there, he left, and was arrested days later in Stockton, according to police testimony. The gun Soto used to kill Morello was registered to him, his attorney said at trial.