A Manteca man was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2023 shooting death of an Amazon big-rig driver on Interstate 5 in Lathrop, the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office announced.
Andrew Watson merged onto I-5 from state Highway 120 on June 15, 2023, and began swerving erratically, prosecutors said. He cut into the slow lane and pulled his vehicle beside an Amazon delivery truck.
Watson then fired multiple shots into the semi driven by Ilkhom Shodiev, 37, striking him in the head and killing him, authorities said. Shodiev’s truck careened off the freeway and crashed into a building as Watson fled the scene.
An investigation by the California Highway Patrol used surveillance and dashcam footage along with witness accounts to put together a case against Watson, helped along by a partial license plate reading. Cellphone and bank records also placed Watson at the scene, and gunshot residue in his car “sealed his guilt,” prosecutors said.
“This senseless act of violence stole the life of a hardworking husband and father who was simply doing his job, leaving his family in profound grief,” San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas said in a statement released by his office Wednesday.
Shodiev was a father of two who lived in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a GoFundMe set up after his death to help his children.
In addition to the murder conviction, Watson was found guilty of shooting at an occupied vehicle, as well as firearm enhancements for both charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 23.