Arraignment postponed again in murder case of Palmdale girl, 7
The arraignment of two brothers accused of shooting and killing a 7-year-old Palmdale girl during a car chase has been postponed for the fourth time, this time until Jan. 14.
Jesus Alberto Peralta, 22, and Carlos Peralta, 19, face felony counts of murder and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.
The brothers -- both of Palmdale -- also face three counts of attempted murder, along with gun and gang allegations. If convicted on all charges, they would each face a maximum 185 years to life in prison.
The brothers initially were arraigned Sept. 20 but it was first postponed to October and two times after that.
The incident occurred Sept. 4, when the boyfriend of Desirae Macias’ mother was confronted by a group of men at a Mobil gas station in Palmdale. Two of those men were allegedly the Peralta brothers.
Prosecutors alleged that the group “issued a gang challenge” to the boyfriend, but did not elaborate on the brief confrontation that followed.
The boyfriend got into his vehicle with his girlfriend and her children and drove off, but prosecutors allege the three men followed them in their own car, firing several times at the family car.
The family didn’t realized the second-grader had been shot until after they made it home, Desirae’s aunt Rose Galvan, told The Times.
Galvan said police told her a bullet ricocheted off a taillight and went through the backseat before hitting Desirae in the back of the head.
Desirae was shielding herself in the backseat when she was struck, the aunt said. The girl was placed on life support until Sept. 5, when she was pronounced dead.
The two brothers and a third person were arrested shortly after the shooting. Prosecutors, however, said there was insufficient evidence to charge the third person.
At the time of her death, Macias was the sixth 7-year-old to have been killed in Los Angeles County since 2007, according to the Homicide Report.
A seventh, Taalib Pecantte, was shot and killed last week in the Mid-City area of L.A.
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