SATICOY : Boy Pleads Innocent in Drive-By Slayings

A 15-year-old Ventura boy accused in a drive-by shooting in Saticoy pleaded not guilty Tuesday to two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.

The boy, referred to as Joseph E., is also charged with a special allegation that a co-participant was armed. If convicted, Joseph could be sentenced to the California Youth Authority until he is 25 years old, with the possibility of extending the sentence until he is 27, said his attorney, Richard Hanawalt.

Hanawalt said he was investigating whether his client, who is in custody at Ventura County Juvenile Hall, had anything to do with the shooting.

“My client pulled no trigger, directed no trigger, directed no vehicle and drove no vehicle,” he said.

Joseph is the youngest of four youths arrested and charged last week after the Sheriff’s Department received anonymous tips and witness accounts concerning the April 7 shooting in Cabrillo Village--a result of what many claim are tensions between rival gangs. The gunfire killed Rolando Martinez, 20, and Javier Ramirez, 19, as they were leaving a baptismal party in the community just east of Ventura.

Rudy Gutierrez, 19, and Ilmer Maradiaga, 22, were also wounded. The two, both from Saticoy, were released from the hospital last week.

The three older teen-agers charged in the shooting are scheduled to make court appearances in coming weeks. The district attorney’s office is seeking to try them as adults.

Meanwhile, investigators are trying to locate the person who sold the gun to the juveniles, Sheriff’s Lt. Joe Harwell said. Authorities were told that the youths bought the gun for $50 at a Ventura beach the day before the shooting, Harwell said. It is against federal law to sell a weapon without going through a licensed dealer, he said.

In addition, he said, the department was aware of the possibility of reprisals and had tried to defuse the situation by informing people in Cabrillo Village about the steps that they were taking to solve the case.