3-year-old boy shot dead as he sat on the living room couch watching TV with his 9-year-old brother

Kyron Santino Zarco Smith (Georgia Attorney General's Office).

Four Georgia men are headed to prison for the drive-by shooting that killed a 3-year-old boy and injured a 9-year-old who were watching TV on the couch in the living room of their home.

The last of the men, 19-year-old Julian Cubillos, pleaded guilty last week to voluntary manslaughter in the death of young Kyron Santino Zarco Smith. Cubillos was sentenced to 20 years behind bars, court records say. Three other men — 24-year-old Desmontrez Mathis, 18-year-old Jayden Brown and 20-year-old Dakious Echols — were convicted of malice murder and other charges. They were sentenced to life in prison.

"While nothing can bring Kyron back, we hope this outcome provides his family with some sense of peace and the justice they deserve," Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement. "This was a senseless shooting that should have never occurred, and it's exactly why we cannot let up in the fight against gang activity. Our children deserve better, Georgia families deserve better, and the people of Athens deserve better, and we will keep fighting for them every day."

According to the AG's Office, Mathis, Brown and Echols were all members of the Everybody Eats (EBE) gang. The trio, along with Cubillos, drove to the Hallmark Mobile Home Park in Athens on March 8, 2024, to target a rival gang member so they could "increase their status within EBE," prosecutors said.

The now-convicted murderers opened fire when they arrived at the mobile home park. A hail of bullets entered the home where Kyron and the 9-year-old were sitting on the couch. Kyron was struck in the chest and died. The 9-year-old suffered a gunshot wound that was non-life-threatening.

Local NBC affiliate WXIA reported that the shooters were targeting Kyron's oldest brother. Their mother, Shanita Smith, said she was relieved after the guilty verdicts.

"All these guilty verdicts, it was just like an answer to all my prayers, that I've been waiting for so long," Smith told the TV station.

She said Kyron's oldest brother carries a heavy burden of guilt over the little boy's death. The family moved away from Athens after the shooting.

"He's hurting as well, knowing that, you know, the words he chooses to use at that moment, ultimately caused strangers to show up at your house and to do that," Smith recounted to WXIA. "It was senseless. It still don't make sense."

More from Law&Crime: 'I wish this guy would die and burn': Dad forced to stand behind glass to address his 5-year-old son's killer who beat boy to death with birdbath

The AG's office told the outlet Cubillos received a lesser sentence because he did not pull the trigger and cooperated with authorities.

In an interview with WXIA after the shooting, Smith said Kyron was sick on the day of the shooting, so she stayed home from work to care for him. Later that evening, she went to the store to buy Kyron's favorite candy. She was on her way home when the shooting occurred.

"Oh God," she said, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I still got his gummies and dinner in my car."