Boy, 14, Arraigned on Murder Charge
A Valencia teen-ager who shot a 13-year-old boy to death during a game of Russian roulette was charged Thursday with murder.
The 14-year-old boy was arraigned in Sylmar Juvenile Hall on one count of murder in the fatal shooting Tuesday of Gabriel Soto, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Michele Rosenblatt.
Los Angeles County sheriff’s investigators said the boy shot Soto once in the head with a large-caliber revolver at the Valencia apartment where he lived with his parents, who were not home at the time.
Authorities said the suspect had possession of the gun at all times during the game. They also said it appeared that Soto and a third boy, identified as 14-year-old Aaron Schwartz, were reluctant participants in the game.
The youth remains in custody at Sylmar Juvenile Hall. If convicted, he could serve his sentence in the California Youth Authority until he is 25.
More to Read
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
