By Veronica Miller
WOODLAND, CA – Two teens—housed with no bail at Yolo County Juvenile facilities—are facing trial for murder, attempted murder and robbery after their preliminary hearing in Yolo County Superior Court this week.
The youth, unnamed because they are minors, are charged in a January 2020 incident.
Their next pretrial is Feb. 14, potentially for trial-setting.
The prosecution charged that on Jan. 4, 2020, the two teens along with another friend met up with two teen girls in a West Sacramento park so the boys could buy marijuana from the two girls.
The two groups had not met in person but, according to the prosecution and witnesses, rather had met through Snapchat where they exchanged a few messages, and allegedly those messages led to the discussion of marijuana and where they could buy it.
The girls offered to sell to them. However, after seeing that they had been shorted by the boys, the girls went back to get their money. But things went bad and one of the girls was shot.
In this preliminary hearing many witnesses took the stand to recount their experience including the friend that was there with them that night.
In her testimony, one witness said there was no intention of using a gun but the boys went with the intention of pulling a “rip-off,” which she explained was “not having enough money or whatever you’re giving that person and exchanging for what they have.”
The witness also stated that the teen seemed to be nervous about the meetup since they did not know the two females who they were meeting. The suspects also felt, she said, as if they were being chased after the girls had discovered that they had been shorted on the money they received during the transaction.
In another testimony from a witness, it was disclosed the teens used an AR-15 that is classified as an assault pistol due to the specific features of the firearm.
The witness said this type of firearm would be sold on the streets because you cannot buy it through a manufacturer.
This gun was found at the home of a teen boy not connected to the murder, according to testimony, that noted one of the suspects had allegedly dropped off a backpack containing the firearm for him to hold. The bullets of the firearm matched the shells and bullets found at the scene.
