Pretrial Hearing Set for Two Defendants in 2021 Killing of Pasadena Boy, 13

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, for Muhammad Abdul-Malik and Teraeja Laquanna Flemmings, who are each charged with murder in the shooting death of a 13-year-old boy who was playing video games in the bedroom of his Pasadena home in November 2021.

The hearing will take place in Department F of the Pasadena Courthouse, 300 E. Walnut St.

The boy, Iran Moreno, was shot and killed Nov. 20, 2021, while playing video games in his bedroom at his home in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue. 

Prosecutors allege Abdul-Malik fired a single gunshot through a window of the home from a vacant lot across the street and then got into a getaway vehicle allegedly driven by Flemmings.

The Pasadena Police Department has said Moreno was not the intended target. Family members said he was a straight-A student at Blair Middle School in Pasadena, according to KTLA. 

The case went unsolved for nearly four years. In June 2025, the Pasadena Police Department released enhanced surveillance footage and composite sketches of two suspects, Pasadena Now previously reported. 

Abdul-Malik was arrested July 11, 2025, in Orlando, Florida, and Flemmings was arrested July 16, 2025, in San Fernando by Pasadena detectives and U.S. Marshals. 

The District Attorney’s Office charged both defendants July 18, 2025, in case 25PDCF00449. Each faces one count of murder. Abdul-Malik is also charged with one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and prosecutors allege he personally and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death. 

Abdul-Malik was extradited to California and pleaded not guilty, Pasadena Now reported. Bail was set at $3 million for Abdul-Malik and $2 million for Flemmings, according to prosecutors. 

If convicted as charged, Abdul-Malik faces 53 years to life in state prison and Flemmings faces 25 years to life, according to the District Attorney’s Office. 

In the release announcing the charges, District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman said his office would “work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are held accountable.” 

Deputy District Attorney Antonella Nistorescu of the Major Crimes Division was assigned to prosecute the case, which was investigated by the Pasadena Police Department, according to the District Attorney’s Office.

The charges are allegations, the District Attorney’s Office said.

Thursday, Sept. 24, 8:30 a.m. Pasadena Courthouse, Department F, 300 E. Walnut St., Pasadena. For more call (626) 396-3323. Tickets: Not applicable.