COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A 23-year-old man will spend the next 30 years in prison for his role in a deadly drive-by shooting that occurred when he was a teenager.
Malachi Jesus Montelongo entered a no contest plea on Thursday on the fourth day of his jury trial, after prosecutors rested their case. The judge then sentenced him to 30 years in prison for second-degree murder. He also received 273 months prison for two counts of aggravated assault, with all sentences to be served at the same time.
According to the Collier County Sheriff's Office, Montelongo's older brother, Jesus Montelongo III, is awaiting sentencing following a plea agreement that calls for a 15-year prison sentence.
The sentence stems from a July 16, 2019 drive-by shooting in Farm Worker Village. Deputies said the brothers, then 19 and 17, drove up to a home along Amos Court in a red Nissan Altima and fired multiple rounds into a silver vehicle occupied by three people.
One of the victims, 33-year-old Adriana Nicole Abrigo of Immokalee, was transported to Lee Memorial Hospital where she was pronounced dead, the sheriff's office said.
Multiple witnesses identified both shooters by name, and detectives later confirmed evidence linking the Montelongo brothers to the crime, deputies said.
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