HURON, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Andrew Leon appeared calm in court Monday, occasionally taking notes as witnesses recalled the night he shot and killed 37-year-old April Diaz.
“While standing in front of the Huron police department I heard multiple gunshots nearby,” former Huron Police Officer Brandon Bottoms described from that night. “Approximately ten to fifteen.”
That shooting– just days after Thanksgiving in 2023– killed Diaz outside her apartment in Huron.
Leon was dating Diaz’s daughter, Neveah, who claims they were arguing that day.
Action News was not allowed to show some witnesses’ faces in court.
“He continued to blow up my phone with messages and missed calls threatening me that he would show up to my apartment,” Neveah explained.
She says she then broke up with him.
Leon also known as “AJ” showed up to her apartment as she and a friend, Galilea, were asleep.
“I hear banging on the door and April comes in the room trying to wake up Neveah,” Galilea recalled. “She had come in one last time and told Neveah that AJ had pulled a gun on her and she walked back out.”
Galilea said she heard gunshots soon after.
“What did you see from the window?” Deputy District Attorney, Kendall Reynolds questioned Galilea.
“April laying on the street,” she responded in tears.
Leon’s attorney, Brendan Bergh, claiming he acted out of self-defense.
“She gets right up to Andrew and she grabs his free arm and then she strikes,’ Bergh said. “When Andrew looked down, it wasn’t a fist that he saw, but the shiny steel of a knife.”
Bergh saying Leon feared for his life.
“He does the only thing his body can tell him to do, which is get free and shoot and he does,” Bergh stated.
Leon then drove away.
“He turns himself in and they arrest him as tears stream down his face,” Bergh said.
Leon is facing a murder charge for this death. If convicted, he could face 50 years to life behind bars.
