On June 4, approximately five weeks after Caleb Quick was fatally shot, Byron Rangel, the 16-year-old accused gunman, was denied release from custody while the case outcome is decided.
Judge David Kalemkarian made the ruling in a Juvenile Justice Campus room at approximately 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
The lawyer’s defense
Rangel’s defense lawyer, Mark W. Coleman, argued that he should be released, primarily due to his age, “no prior criminal history” and “good parents.”
“The only factor that didn’t [point to Rangel’s release] is the seriousness of the offense,” Coleman said.
Coleman said that, as of now, they have denied all of the allegations against Rangel.
“In juvenile court, [that] is the equivalent of a not guilty plea,” he said.
Coleman also said that he believes Rangel should remain in the juvenile justice system.
“We believe that we will be successful, that he is rehabilitable,” he said.
He explained that Rangel’s allegations should be perceived differently than if he were an adult, since the human brain doesn’t finish developing until approximately age 25.
“None of this justifies perhaps a reaction in a normal adult person, but we’re dealing with the allegation against a 16-year-old,” Coleman said. “Their brains are not fully formed. Sometimes a reaction is spontaneous, sometimes a reaction is ill-considered, it’s rash.”
Coleman also claimed that Rangel had a motive for the crime. He said that there are several rumors against Quick, citing him to have had “unconsensual sex” with females and recording it.
The rumors have not been confirmed or denied.
Kathy Bird, Rangel’s juvenile law specialist, requested that Rangel’s two 8-month-old twin sisters be permitted to visit him in custody and be allowed to have a phone call with his mother.
Kalemkarian approved the request.
Suspects identified
The two teenage suspects were brought into custody on May 9 and were identified in a public court hearing on May 14.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s office (DA) filed two petitions against the individuals in the Juvenile Division of the Fresno County Superior Court.
The male suspect, Rangel, is charged with one count of murder under Penal Code Section 187 with two enhancement charges, “personal and intentional discharge of a firearm causing death, under Penal Code 12022.53(d).”
The female suspect, 16-year-old Cassandra Michael, is also charged with one count of murder under Penal Code Section 187(a). Michael is charged with one enhancement, “co-participant armed with a firearm,” under Penal Code Section 12022(a).
Although the suspects are both minors, the DA’s office made the request that they be tried as adults. A decision has not yet been made.
The night of the shooting
The shooting occurred on April 23 in Clovis at Willow Station in front of the McDonald’s at approximately 8:57 p.m.
According to Clovis Police Chief Curt Fleming, the suspect was driven to the McDonald’s by his girlfriend in a white Tesla, where he sat and waited for Quick and his friends.
Fleming says that based on surveillance footage, the suspect watched the group from a nearby table in the restaurant and then followed them into the parking lot, where he pulled the trigger, killing Quick.
The suspect then ran into a nearby neighborhood and was picked up by the female driver of the Tesla.
