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Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Adult or juvenile murder charges? Here's latest in Clovis teen killing trial
In the Spotlight is a Fresno Bee series that digs into the high-profile local issues that readers care most about. Story idea? Email tips@ Two 16-year-olds in Fresno County were recently accused of the premeditated killing of Clovis teen Caleb Quick and many, including District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp, have called for the teens to face an adult trial. Whether they will be charged as adults is a significant undertaking that will not likely be decided quickly, according to experts. Fresno attorney Kathy Bird is the defense attorney for Byron Rangel, who was accused of being the gunman who sought out the 18-year-old Quick on April 23 before shooting him in the head outside of a McDonald's near Willow and Nees avenues. The teen faces a charge of murder and an enhancement for lying in wait. Also charged in the case was Cassandra Michael, 16, who police said was the getaway driver. She also faces an enhancement as a co-participant in a crime involving a gun. The two 16-year-olds were dating. The Bee is naming the juvenile defendants after Judge Amythest Freeman on May 14 denied requests from their attorneys to withhold their names, entering them into the public record. Two-and-half weeks after the fatal shooting, the two Clovis Unified students turned themselves into police in Clovis on May 9. Rangel's next hearing is June 4, and Michael's is June 18. The Fresno County District Attorney's Office has made the request to try them as adults, but it's up to a judge to decide. Multiple attorneys who spoke with the Fresno Bee laid out the process for how the judicial system weighs that request. The teen must be at least 16 to face an adult court under Proposition 57, which voters passed in 2016. Two years later, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1391 to move the minimum age up to 16 from 14. The alleged crime must also be an 'enumerated offense,' which basically means a more serious alleged crime like murder, rape, carjacking or robbery at gunpoint. A judge will hold a transfer hearing in which the prosecutors and defense attorneys make their arguments on why the teen should be moved to an adult court or stay in the juvenile system. The transfer hearing in juvenile court is much more similar to a juvenile criminal proceeding than a preliminary hearing in adult court is to an adult criminal trial, according to Michael McKneely, a veteran Fresno attorney with experience in homicide trials in both juvenile and adult courts. 'They hear evidence, they hear witnesses and things like that,' he said. 'A transfer hearing is a lot like an actual juvenile trial, because although there are is a focus on the five key criteria, there's also a focus on the factual basis as well.' He was referring to the five factors a judge weighs in a juvenile transfer hearing: Totality of the circumstances and seriousness of the crime. The degree of sophistication of the crime. The likeliness of rehabilitation of the teen. Previous history of delinquency. Success of previous attempts at rehabilitation. Both Rangel's attorney and Jeff Hammerschmidt, Michael's attorney, described their clients as teens from decent families who had no previous delinquency. As part of the transfer hearing, juvenile probation officials will be asked to make a recommendation on the transfer. The judge can use it in their decision but is not required to follow the recommendation. The defense will have the teens evaluated by psychiatrists, including looking into whether they had adverse childhood events that may have led them to act out differently than a well-adjusted teen. None of this happens quickly. All of the factors in the case would likely come out during many court hearings over months or longer. A case involving a 17-year-old accused of quadruple homicide in Reedley in January 2024 is ongoing, and the court has not yet determined if he should be tried as an adult. A decision has also not been made on a 17-year-old accused of killing and dismembering a man in Mendota in April 2024. Members of the community can grow impatient in the process, and show frustration that the decision takes so long. McKneely stressed that the public should be patient and allow the system to work to come to a full determination. 'I don't know anybody, outside other than the police or the prosecutors or the defense attorneys, who knows enough about the circumstances of the offense to be able to knowledgeably say whether you know this kid or the girlfriend really are irredeemable,' McKneely said. The most glaring difference a teen faces in adult court is the severity of the punishment. As adults, Michael would face 26 years to life for participating in the slaying while Rangel would potentially be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, prosecutors said. As juveniles, they each face up to seven years of confinement or up until they turn 25, prosecutors said. Hammerchmidt said the difference between how the courts handle a juvenile case and an adult case are 'absolutely huge.' The courts in juvenile cases lean heavily on diversion, when the court prescribes treatment or programs to correct a person's actions rather than a jail sentence. 'The purpose of the juvenile court is rehabilitation rather than punishment,' he said. 'Sometimes punishment is part of it but it's less of an emphasis.' There has been an evolving perspective in California of how the courts treat young people who commit crimes. Prop. 57 and SB 1391 are examples of that. In 2020, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office took the additional step of not sending any minors to adult court as part of their own policies. Even 18 can be seen as too young to handle adult consequences. Some science shows that a person's brain does not finish developing until mid- to late 20s, and the Supreme Court made note of that in its decision in Graham vs. Florida in 2010 in which the justices ruled life sentences cannot be given to minors who commit 'non-homicide crime.' California also holds youth offender parole hearings for anyone younger than 26 when they committed a crime, a law that went into effect with Assembly Bill 1308 in 2018. 'Courts are catching up with brain science,' Bird said.
News.com.au
3 days ago
- General
- News.com.au
‘How are you going, miss?': Chilling moment armed teens attempt to smash way into home in Toowoomba, Qld
Chilling footage has captured the moment a group of teenagers, armed with knives and shovels, attempted to smash their way into an elderly couple's home under the cover of darkness. The teenagers can seen wearing hoodies tightly-wound to conceal their faces as they gather outside the home in Toowoomba on Friday night. In a bizarre moment, one addresses the occupants on the video doorbell footage, saying: 'How're you going miss?' The resident responds with: 'I think you better go. I'll have to call the police'. Holding shovels, one of the teenagers tells the other to: 'Smash the window, smash the window with a shovel'. Although unsuccessful in their attempt, the teens take a picture of the house before leaving with one teenager remarking the couple had a 'Volkswagen'. It is alleged the teenagers had also approached another house up the straight in Harristown five minutes earlier – with footage allegedly capturing one teen stabbing the door with a knife. Michelle, who lives a suburb over, told 9News that the group were allegedly 'bashing and trying to get into the door'. 'They had a knife and yelling out they wanted the car keys,' she said. Michelle's partner went outside to make sure the teenagers had left. He did not realise they were allegedly armed until seeing the footage. 'Quite a decent-sized knife, yeah it's just terrible and there's a few around last night unfortunately,' she said. 'There's certainly no feeling of optimism that anything is going to get any better.' Michelle also told Sunrise she was initially scared and in disbelief, but says she is now angry. 'The neighbourhoods really quiet there's a few young families around, a few elderly people,' she said 'After it happened, on the (neighbour's) advice we went to the police, just in case they tried to attempt something at their houses as well.' While Michelle admits feel rattled by the events, she says she wants action taken. 'I know that they can't get in, they tried and they failed so (I'm) not as vulnerable as Friday night,' she said. '(I want) tougher penalties, knowing that they are going to get in trouble, that they may potentially spend a period of time in jail. 'I'd like to see a complete knife ban in public. That would be great. Just to try and take some of these weapons off the street. So a potential home invasion isn't going to be one that could lead to something a lot worse.' Queensland Police have said investigations remain ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police. 9News reported that the police have said that the group are also being investigated for a break and enter in Kingthorpe and were last seen driving a Kia Cerato. The car was stolen on Friday morning with the number plate KORD43, and has been spotted in Newtown and Kearneys Spring in a continued crime spree across the Downs. No arrests have been made.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 Palm Coast teens held up 3rd teen at gunpoint, steal his gun
A pair of Palm Coast teenagers were arrested Thursday in the robbery of another teen at gunpoint, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. One of the stolen items: his parents' gun which he was carrying to 'look cool.' The News-Journal is not identifying the two 16-year-old males accused in the robbery and gun theft because they have not been charged as adults. The teen who was robbed said he met the other two in the parking of the European Village to hang out, according to the sheriff's office. The teen said he wanted to 'look cool' and 'fit in,' so he took his parents' handgun with him, according to the sheriff's office. The three juveniles were sitting in a car when one of the teens pointed a handgun at the teen's head and demanded his belongings. The teen complied and turned over his parents' gun and his money. He then got out of the car, walked home and told his mother, who called 911. Within an hour of the 911 call, deputies found the vehicle involved and 'conducted a high-risk traffic stop' at Lee and London Drives. They found the two teens accused in the armed robbery and theft inside the car. Detectives also found two handguns in a backpack in the car and also found marijuana, the sheriff' office stated. One of the teens, who was the driver, was charged with accessory after the fact, grand theft of a firearm, and possession of a firearm by minor. The other teen was charged with robbery with a firearm, grand theft of a firearm, possession of a firearm by minor, and violation of probation. Both teens were transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility for processing before being turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice in Daytona Beach. 'This was excellent work by our deputies, Major Case Unit detectives and analysts from our Real Time Crime Center, who quickly identified and apprehended both teenagers involved in this robbery,' said Sheriff Rick Staly. 'This incident could have ended in serious injuries or deaths but the swift action of the victim's parents and our deputies stopped these two before they could commit anymore crimes. Now, they will have to face the consequences of their actions and prosecution under State Attorney Larizza's 'Young Guns' initiative. I urge parents to take proper safety precautions and secure their firearms and remember to be the sheriff of your home.' This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 2 Palm Coast teens hold up 3rd armed teen at gunpoint
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Carjacking teen, 15, who dumped baby and toddler on the side of the road in 40C heat learns his fate
A teenager who stole two cars, both with young children inside, has been sentenced to 15 months in prison over the horror carjackings. The 15-year-old boy from Kalgoorlie-Boulder stole a Kia Sorento from a driveway in West Kalgoorlie in WA's Eastern Goldfields in January. He was under the influence of methamphetamine when he stole the car, a Perth Children's Court has heard. After the teen discovered that a one-year-old and a 10-month old baby were inside the Sorento, he dumped them on the side of the road. The two young children were left for 10 minutes in the 40C heat, until they were discovered by a member of the public. CCTV vision captured from a neighbouring house showed the toddler appearing distressed while the baby lay face down on the hot pavement. The children's screams could be heard in the footage. Moments later, the teen crashed the stolen SUV and fled to a nearby recycling depot, where he hijacked a second car. The mother (pictured) was seen screaming out for her nine-year-old son in the passenger seat This time, a nine-year-old boy was sitting in the front passenger seat. Once again, a mother tried to stop the man from taking her car. The court heard she was 'holding on for dear life' to the car door but was dragged along a gravel road and sustained injuries that required stitches. 'I didn't want to let go of the door handle' she told 9News. The teen then sped off down a bush track. The nine-year-old child, who had been warned by his mother about kidnappers, jumped out of the moving car after three minutes. 'The child feared for his life,' the court was told. The teenager was arrested and charged with a raft of offences, including deprivation of liberty, aggravated robbery causing bodily harm, and driving-related charges. Acting Children's Court President Mara Barone said the teen's conduct was 'serious and aggravated but acknowledged he had expressed regret over his actions. He was already under a youth supervision order for previous burglary offences. 'There is no doubt that you understand the seriousness of your offending,' Judge Barone told him. 'You have expressed genuine remorse, and I accept that.' The court heard the teen had endured 'significant and prolonged' exposure to drugs, having first used methamphetamine at age seven. He has been held at Unit 18 within the adult Casuarina Prison since April, which the judge described as 'a more intense regime' than the Banksia Hill Detention Centre. The boy's family had not visited him during his time in custody. His behavior in detention was said to have improved markedly. The teen reportedly told the court that his incarceration had been a 'wake-up call,' with no desire to return to substance abuse. Judge Barone determined that a custodial sentence was the only appropriate response. 'An immediate term of imprisonment is necessary,' she ruled. The teenager will be eligible to apply for parole after serving seven months.
CBS News
26-05-2025
- CBS News
13-year-old arrested in series of crimes including home invasion and assault
A 13-year-old has been arrested upon investigation of a home invasion and related charges in Lambertville, Michigan. The initial call was made about 4:15 p.m. Sunday, sending deputies to the 3800 block of Section Road in Bedford Township, according to a report from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. A youth had run away from the home, and was last seen heading northbound into a wooded area. Deputies started a search. Then about 5:12 p.m., while that search was still in progress, a 911 call reported a teenage male had broken into a workshop outbuilding at a nearby home in the 7100 block of Twin Canyon Drive and threatened that resident with a handgun. When officers arrived to Twin Canyon, they found the suspect being restrained by the homeowner. They learned the suspect had broken into the workshop, found the homeowner inside, held a gun to him and made threats to shoot him. "The victim attempted to take the handgun from the offender and was able to get it away after a brief struggle, only for the offender to then produce a hammer and swing it at the victim," the report said. "The offender was then held down and restrained by the victim, until a family member was able to call 911 and deputies arrived on scene." Further investigation indicated that the handgun involved in the Twin Canyon assault was stolen during a break-in to a nearby home in the 7000 block of Brookside Drive. The 13-year-old was lodged in the Monroe County Youth Center on charges of home invasion, breaking and entering, and felonious assault. Court proceedings are pending. The case remains under investigation by Deputy Zachary Blevins and detectives from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at 734-240-7530.
