Two Defendants in 2021 Killing of Pasadena Boy, 13, Face Pretrial Hearing Monday

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Monday for Muhammad Abdul-Malik and Teraeja Laquanna Flemmings, each charged with murder in the November 2021 shooting death of 13-year-old Iran Moreno, who was killed by a bullet that entered the window of his Pasadena home while he played video games.

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

Moreno was fatally wounded on the evening of Nov. 20, 2021, in the 900 block of North Raymond Avenue. Prosecutors allege Abdul-Malik fired a shot from a vacant lot across the street that penetrated the boy’s bedroom window. Abdul-Malik then fled in a vehicle allegedly driven by Flemmings, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

The Pasadena Police Department has said Moreno was not the intended target. The motive remains unknown, according to authorities.

The case went unsolved for nearly four years. In June 2025, Pasadena police released enhanced surveillance footage and composite sketches of two suspects. The break led to Abdul-Malik’s arrest on July 11, 2025, in Orlando, Florida. Flemmings was arrested five days later in San Fernando by Pasadena detectives and U.S. Marshals.

The DA’s office charged both on July 18, 2025. Abdul-Malik faces one count of murder, one felony count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and an enhancement for personally and intentionally discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury or death.

Flemmings faces one count of murder, according to the DA’s office. Abdul-Malik was extradited to California and pleaded not guilty, according to Pasadena Now. He was returned to Southern California on Aug. 29, 2025, jail records show.

Bail has been set at $3 million for Abdul-Malik and $2 million for Flemmings, according to prosecutors.

If convicted as charged, Abdul-Malik faces up to 53 years to life in state prison, while Flemmings faces up to 25 years to life, according to the DA’s office. The case is being prosecuted by Deputy District Attorney Antonella Nistorescu of the Major Crimes Division.

Moreno was an eighth-grade student at Blair Middle School in Pasadena at the time of his death. Family members described him as a straight-A student who loved basketball and soccer, according to KTLA.

“The violence that took this young boy’s life is not only tragic, but also unacceptable and criminal,” District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement when the charges were filed. “While we cannot undo this tragedy, we will work tirelessly to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

The charges in this case are allegations. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.