FRESNO, Calif. — A teenage girl accused of serving as the getaway driver in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Caleb Quick went on trial Monday in Fresno County Superior Court, where her defense argued that she is facing a murder charge despite having no knowledge that anyone planned to shoot or kill Quick.
The accused is charged with murder in connection with Quick’s death after he was shot in the back of the head outside a McDonald’s on April 23, 2025.
Defense attorney Sally Vecchiarelli acknowledged that the accused drove on the night of the killing but disputed the prosecution’s contention that her actions made her criminally responsible for Quick’s death.
Vecchiarelli told the court the evidence would show that the accused did not know about a plan to harm Quick and did not participate in arranging the shooting.
The defense said events leading to the killing began April 22, 2025, when the accused learned that Quick had allegedly raped one of her friends, identified in court as Jane Doe.
According to Vecchiarelli, the accused was “heartbroken” and “disgusted,” not because she hated Quick but because she feared Jane Doe had been hurt.
Vecchiarelli pointed to a text message the accused sent her boyfriend after learning about the allegation.
“I am disgusted, and I feel so bad for Jane Doe,” the accused wrote, according to the defense.
Vecchiarelli argued that the message demonstrated concern for Jane Doe rather than an intention to retaliate against Quick.
“Nothing says bring a gun. Nothing says we have a plan,” Vecchiarelli told the court.
The defense sought to draw a distinction between the accused’s actions and those of her boyfriend, telling the court that he was the person “contacting other people, asking them to set Caleb up” and seeking Quick’s address.
The accused, Vecchiarelli argued, expressed sympathy for Jane Doe but did not express a desire for vengeance or participate in planning violence against Quick.
According to the defense, the accused and her boyfriend went to the McDonald’s on April 23 after attending their weekly church youth group.
Vecchiarelli said the accused’s boyfriend subsequently insisted on driving and took her to a nearby neighborhood, where he got out of the vehicle and ran into the neighborhood.
The accused then returned to the McDonald’s alone, according to the defense.
Vecchiarelli said the accused later saw a man dressed in black follow Quick and his friends outside before shooting Quick in the back of the head.
The accused panicked and drove after the shooter, making U-turns and driving quickly until she caught up with him, Vecchiarelli told the court.
Vecchiarelli characterized the decision to pursue the shooter as “the worst decision of her life,” but argued that the decision did not establish that the accused knew beforehand that Quick would be killed.
“The accused is being charged with murder,” Vecchiarelli told the court.
Following opening statements, prosecutors began presenting testimony from people who witnessed the shooting and the police officer who responded to the scene.
The prosecution’s first witness, Cash Mills, was with Quick on the night he was killed.
Mills testified that he, Quick and another friend went to the McDonald’s to meet other members of their church youth group. Quick stopped to greet the accused, whom he knew from school and the youth group.
While inside the restaurant, Mills said he noticed a man sitting in a corner wearing “black sweats, black hoodie and a mask.”
Mills described the man as appearing “sketchy and off.”
As Quick and his friends left the restaurant, Mills testified, the man walked past him, pulled out a gun and fired at Quick.
Mills said he dropped to the ground as his ears rang from the gunshot before running to Quick and attempting to stop the bleeding.
“I immediately ran over and used my right hand to try and plug the wound,” Mills testified.
Michael Salinas, another friend who was with Quick and Mills that night, provided a similar account of the shooting.
Salinas testified that he saw what he described as a “stainless steel .357 snub-nose revolver” in the shooter’s hand and saw a muzzle flash before the shooter fled.
Prosecutors also called Clovis Police Officer Marcus Burks, a 12-year veteran who responded to the shooting.
Burks testified that when he arrived, he saw four men, with one lying on the ground and three standing over him.
The officer immediately began providing first aid to Quick.
Burks testified that he observed a wound to Quick’s head and attempted to stop the bleeding by applying pressure.
“There was a hole in his head, and I applied pressure to the wound,” Burks testified.
During Burks’ testimony, prosecutors displayed crime scene photographs, including an image of Quick’s hat showing a hole and blood on its left side.
The courtroom fell silent as the photograph was displayed.
The testimony provided jurors with an account of the shooting itself, while the central dispute in the case remains what the accused knew before Quick was killed and whether her conduct makes her legally responsible for his death.
The defense maintains that although the accused drove on the night of the shooting and later pursued the gunman, she did not know that anyone intended to shoot Quick.
The accused nevertheless remains charged with murder as the alleged getaway driver.
The trial is scheduled to proceed throughout the week.
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