Arraignment in 2021 Slaying of Pasadena Boy Culminates Long Investigation and Hunt

A woman charged in the 2021 fatal shooting of a Pasadena teenager is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, nearly four years after the boy was killed by a stray bullet that flew through his bedroom window as he played video games.

Teraeja Laquanna Flemmings, 31, faces one count of murder in connection with the death of 13-year-old Iran Moreno, who was shot on Nov. 20, 2021, at his family’s home on the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue. Prosecutors say Moreno was not the intended target.

Flemmings allegedly drove the getaway vehicle for her co-defendant, Muhammad Abdul-Malik, 38, who fired a single shot, according to prosecutors.

Flemmings’ arraignment is set for July 21 in Department D of the Pasadena Courthouse, located at 300 E. Walnut St. She was arrested July 16 in the City of San Fernando by Pasadena detectives and U.S. Marshals.

Prosecutors will ask the court to set Flemming’s bail at $2 million.

Abdul-Malik was taken into custody July 11 in Orlando, Florida. He remains jailed there pending extradition to California.

Abdul-Malik faces charges of murder and possession of a firearm by a felon. Prosecutors seek $3 million bail for  Abdul-Malik.

If convicted, Flemmings could face 25 years to life in state prison. Abdul-Malik faces a potential sentence of 53 years to life.

The charges culminate a lengthy investigation that gained momentum in June 2025 after police reviewed enhanced surveillance footage showing a gray Ford Fusion near Moreno’s home shortly before the shooting.

Composite sketches of a man and a woman were released later that month.

In late June, Pasadena police said they had reports that the male suspect was in the Boston area.

“We received information from a tipster in the Boston area, and more specifically the Swampscott area, that recognized that individual from the sketch that we provided,” Cmdr. William Grisafe told CBS Boston. “This individual seemed very credible and was able to provide us some information that she believed that he was in that area.”

Two weeks later and about 1,300 miles south, Abdul-Malik’s running ended with his arrest in Orlando.

“The tragic loss of Iran Moreno shook our entire community to its core,” District 3 Councilmember Justin Jones told Pasadena Now after learning of the arrests. “He was a child, at home, playing video games, when his life was stolen by senseless violence.”

“To the Moreno family: nothing can erase the heartbreak or the tragedy you’ve endured, but I hope these arrests bring some measure of healing and a step toward peace,” Jones said.

District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman called the crime “unacceptable,” adding, “No family should ever have to endure the heartbreak of losing a child under such horrific circumstances.”

A reward totaling $85,000 was offered during the investigation, with contributions from the City of Pasadena, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, and private donors.