A gang member was sentenced today to 50 years to life in state prison for fatally shooting a woman whose body was later found inside an ice chest in Whittier, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

On July 12, a jury found Anthony Robert Moreno, 40, of Hacienda Heights guilty of two counts in case VA141778: first-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a felon.

Jurors also found true a special allegation that the killing was committed for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in association with a criminal street gang with the specific intent to promote, further and assist in criminal conduct by gang members.

Additionally, jurors found true that Moreno personally and intentionally discharged a firearm, which caused great bodily injury and death to the victim.

Deputy District Attorney John Chang of the Hardcore Gang Division, who prosecuted the case, said on Nov. 24, 2015, Moreno fatally shot victim Dawn Molly McEveety, 19, in a detached garage of an Artesia home that was a known gang hangout.

Following the shooting, the victim's body was placed in a cooler, transported to Whittier and left inside a stolen vehicle, according to evidence presented at trial.

The case was investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department

Los Angeles District Attorney / case VA141778 / August 1, 2018