The Case of Corey Shearer: A Death Without Reason?

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On the summer night of August 5, 2022, there was a party buzzing with the sounds of teenage celebration. The party took place at 3000 Ramsgate Way, Rancho Cordova, California, where around 100 teenagers gathered to dance to the sounds of music and bask in the cooling summer night air. Corey Shearer was there with his girlfriend, enjoying the party with the other patrons. The teenagers filled Ramsgate Way with laughter and music until it all came to an abrupt stop, and panic replaced this sense of peace. Shearer stepped outside for a moment when several gunshots pierced the music. Teenagers scattered as the young man lay on the front lawn, bleeding out. The police eventually showed up to help with Shearer and his wounds, taking him to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The family of the victim called for justice, sparking a search for the culprit who shot Shearer that summer night. The family was open to sharing who Corey Shearer was, leaving the public wondering who snuffed the life of such an innocent man.

Corey Shearer was 20 years old when he was killed at the party. He attended the party with his girlfriend, who called the police. Shearer was from Ione, California, where he was an alumnus of Amador High School. He was a varsity football player during his time in high school. Before the party, he had started working as a janitor at Harrah's Casino in Ione, hoping to raise enough money to start his own landscaping company. He planned to open this landscaping company in Tahoe once he had saved the money for it. 

During an interview, CBS Newsasked Lexi Buetow if Shearer had any possible enemies, to which she insisted he did not and told the reporters, “Not at all. He loved everybody."  Shearer was the oldest and only son of four siblings. One of Shearer's disabled sisters, Makenzie, spoke at the court hearing and said, "He was my protector until the day he died. All my quiet moments are filled with the screams of my family that night." He was known to be helpful around the house, assisting with his sister's needs and easing the burden on his parents. When he was killed, the family spent their time going to different hospitals trying to find out where he was taken or his condition, only to have the hospitals say nothing or direct them to another facility. During the court hearing, Shearer’s mother, Crystal, took to the stand and discussed the death's toll on the family, "Having to watch my girls' childhood and innocence be ripped away because of this trauma is beyond unfair. Watching my husband hold all his pain inside to try to hold it together makes me worry every day. I wasn't even able to see my beautiful boy the night everything happened. It wasn't until several days later, when he was stiff and couldn't, that I got to hold him for the last time." The night this all occurred was a dark time in the community; Shearer's last moments were ill-fitting of his character. 

During the night of the party, the investigators discovered from Shearer's girlfriend that he was last seen stepping outside with a man wearing a hoodie. The party had upwards of 100 people who had been invited through social media posts, where the address was listed. There was no set reason for the party, merely a summer house party that grew too large. With the information on the internet, plenty of uninvited underage minors attended the party.  Witnesses pointed out that it seemed Shearer was seen with the hooded suspect and appeared to be defensive as he approached the fellow party goer. Once Shearer and the suspect were against a bush, the suspect pulled down a ski mask and pulled out a concealed 9mm handgun, then shot Shearer. Shearer sustained four gunshot wounds. His girlfriend called the police to the location at around 11:20 PM. When they arrived, they found her trying to offer aid to Shearer. The police also tried to help with the wounds before he was taken to the hospital, where he died of the injuries. The police attempted to screen the witnesses to no avail, finding only a handful of partygoers willing to provide information to the investigators. The police found a firearm and some other personal items thrown behind a car close to the party. 

The investigators faced an uphill battle from the outset, struggling to find numerous witnesses who were willing to come forward with information. The investigators eventually collected footage from the houses closest to where the shooting took place. They found a young teenager whose clothes matched the description given by witnesses; he was seen running through backyards and hopping over fences. The homicide detectives and investigators had determined that the young male wearing a black hoodie and ripped-up black pants was the primary suspect. The few witnesses who did speak up mentioned seeing this hooded suspect draw the firearm, shoot Shearer, and then flee on foot. The police held a press conference in January 2023 to enlist the public's help in identifying the suspect. After a year of searching, Sergeant Gandhi told The Bee, "Witnesses have been very hard to come by." After another year of searching, the case was beginning to be considered a cold case. The police eventually found out who the killer was, as he had been arrested on a different crime and had his DNA logged into the database. The suspect was 19-year-old Amyis Ausar Coogler, who was 17 at the time of the murder. 

Coogler was arrested once in May 2023 by a gang unit in connection with weapon possession charges, though he was released. A month after that arrest, Coogler was arrested again, being charged with robbing and assaulting a man with a group of gang members outside of Bambu, a dessert store on Stockton Boulevard and 65th street. That same day, the group followed an elderly couple into their garage and robbed them at gunpoint. The members of that crew were later arrested during a traffic stop by Sacramento Sheriff's gang suppression unit. During lockup, the officers took a DNA sample from Coogler. This sample matched a DNA sample obtained from a belt buckle found at the house party. Coogler was 19 years old when he was arrested but was a minor during the murder of Shearer. Coogler had been in jail for several crimes: robbery, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit a crime. Coogler was ineligible for bail due to his record, both inside and outside prison. 

Investigators found that Coogler was one of the partygoers who was not invited to the party, having seen the post online and used the information to attend. Previously, he was also a football player, like Shearer. Some witnesses had said that he had shown some signs of aggression while attending the party, leading to Shearer stepping outside with him. After being arrested, he was found to be a novice career criminal. In court, he was labeled a member of the West Gate Crips and began being known as a chronic lock-picker. There were around 14 reported incidents with Coogler, one of which was a group-led assault on another inmate. The inmate suffered a shattered collarbone. Coogler was placed in Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in the 300 Pod, a place reserved for capital street gangs.

During the court case relating to Shearer's murder, the prosecutors are aiming to charge Coogler as an adult for the murder, which could land him a 15-year sentence. During the court hearing, prosecutor Michelle Becker called detective Brandon Imbraile, who worked in the jail's Investigative Services Unit. When Imbraile took the stand, the prosecutor told the judge and jury of Coogler's criminal spree while incarcerated, having to be placed in specific cell blocks to be kept away from fellow gang members. After which, the testimony turned its attention to why Coogler was in custody in the first place. Becker brought Sacramento Sheriff's Detective Chris Robertson, who was an 11-year veteran of the department's robbery unit. Detective Robertson showed the court photos, surveillance footage, witness statements, and phone data that placed Coogler at several of the robberies for which he was arrested. One of the photos he used showed Coogler brandishing a firearm that was stolen from the house robbery of the elderly couple. 

The defense's position asked for better rehabilitation for Coogler. Defense attorney Keith J. Staten aimed to keep Coogler in the juvenile court system so that he could receive care. Staten called up retired Senior Probation Officer Michael Craft, who advocated for Coogler to be enrolled in programs in the juvenile system that he believed would help rehabilitate young offenders. Staten then brought up Deborah DeLoney-Deans, who was a licensed therapist with 23 years of experience as a parole officer. Dean's main argument was that Coogler lacked structure in his childhood. She pointed out that his father was incarcerated when he was a young age. On Sacramento News Review, Dean stated, "He lacks emotional maturity and is very elemental in his thought process. He struggles with maintaining focus. He didn't have a strong relationship with his father. When he did have a positive relationship with a male figure, that relationship ended with that figure being incarcerated." Dean claimed that the best course of action for Coogler was to remain in the juvenile court system and be given therapy and rehabilitation programs. 

Coogler had been invited to a program by his older cousin called Improve Your Tomorrow after being put on juvenile probation when arrested after being found with a backpack full of robbery tools. The defense called multiple friends and family members of Coogler, who testified to being a helpful and thoughtful teen. The prosecutor then brought up evidence showing Coogler looking up news articles relating to Shearer's death and deleting anything that could tie him back to the murder. It took Judge Holiday three weeks to render a verdict. When she would arrive to address both the victim and the attacker's family, she stated, "Mr. Coogler acted alone; he was the sole participant in this murder. It took more than a year to identify him, and in that time, Mr. Coogler did not reflect on his actions but instead went on to commit more violent crimes." After which Judge Holiday ordered Coogler to stand trial as an adult for Shearer's murder. As of now, Coogler has not been sentenced but awaits standing trial in the adult courts. For Shearer’s family the sentence brought by Judge Holiday is only the beginning of the path to recovery and closure.

In an interview on The Original Sin Podcast, Corey’s mother, Crystal Shearer, was able to share her thoughts on her son’s death and her strive for legal justice. Crystal had mentioned that on the day of the murder she was asleep as she worked a job that kept odd hours, awaking to a phone call from a friend reporting that her son was killed. This was when she and her family rode to different hospitals trying to figure out where her son was transported. She was officially given the news the next day. Crystal believes that Coogler had gone to the party with the intent of committing murder pointing to the fact he brought a loaded gun into the party pointing towards that motive. Crystal told us “Juvenile court is a complete joke. If we remain in the juvenile court, there will be no justice.” She discussed that Coogler would only be allowed in juvenile court until he is 25, being 20 now she claims that five years for murder is not a fair enough sentence. She still struggles to go in for court hearings and face Coogler, she stated, “Every time going to court I have to prepare for a week in advance it’s so incredibly hard to see him and his family.” Crystal was asked if she had anything to say to Coogler if given the chance, her only desire was to know his reasoning behind taking her son. 

Written by Podcast Blogger:

Joseph Gil