SAN BERNARDINO – Three men accused for a January 2011 shooting that took two teen-agers’ lives has been delayed.
On Monday, a tentative trial date of March 17 will open the case against three men – Anthony Legaspi, 20, Jose Ramon Lara, 30, and John David Salazar, 24 – who are accused of a shooting that killed Quinn McCaleb and Andrew Jackson, both 17.
It took months for investigators to find enough evidence to arrest the three, each of whom pleaded not guilty in March 2013. Legaspi has been identified by investigators as the shooter while the other two accused of participating.
Legaspi, who was a juvenile at the time, and Salazar will be on trial for first-degree murder with special allegations. Lara was charged with being an accessory after the fact to first-degree murder. Legaspi will be tried as an adult.
Police said McCaleb, Jackson and three other teens had assembled at an apartment complex on Monday night to discuss plans for the evening. Police, which received a call shortly after 7 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2011, said the suspects walked into the playground area where the five teens were standing. That’s when the shooting began.
Along with the two deaths, two others were wounded by shots while the fifth teen escaped. McCaleb, who was a junior at nearby Redlands High School, died at the scene while Jackson, also an RHS junior, died later at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
The trial has been delayed on other occasions due to the availability of defense counsel. A March 14 readiness hearing is schedule in San Bernardino Superior Court. The three defendants were appeared in court on Friday when the motions for an additional delay were made.
It is a high profile case that received immediate attention on Los Angeles TV stations while reaching the front page of several Southern California newspapers. Coverage included the shootings, its aftermath including the funerals, plus a police news conference to request public assistance. It wasn’t until Feb. 2012 that the suspects were arrested and later charged in connection with the shootings.
Read More:
San Bernardino Sun: Trial for Cinnamon Creek slayings is delayed once again
