Jury convicts Yuba City dad after child finds loaded gun and fatally shoots himself

(FOX40.COM) — A Yuba City man was found guilty of several felony charges after his 6-year-old son found a loaded gun and shot himself.

In Sept. of 2021, the child found his father's loaded 9mm handgun, which had been left on a living room table while the defendant slept in another room, according to the Sutter County District Attorney's Office . The child fired one round which struck him in the head, killing him almost instantly. The defendant, Michael Thomas Marti, 34, left the state of California soon afterward and remained wanted by police until he turned himself in in late 2022.

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A Sutter County jury convicted Marti for negligent storage of a firearm, felon in possession of a firearm, felon in possession of ammunition, and felony child abuse or neglect. The jury also found that the victim had learning disabilities and was particularly vulnerable.

The verdict came on Oct. 24. after a three-day trial in which Sutter County Deputy District Attorney Ambrose Jordan called several witnesses, including the mother of the deceased child, to the stand. Prosecutors said evidence showed that Marti left loaded handguns in the home he shared with his live-in girlfriend, son, and their 6-month-old daughter.

Marti is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 24 and faces up to 8 years in state prison.