Gang Members to Stand Trial in Slaying
- Share via
FULLERTON — Three teen-age gang members accused of going on a shooting rampage that resulted in the death of a 16-year-old boy were ordered Friday to stand trial on charges of murder, assault and robbery.
The defendants--Emilia Ceniseros, 17; Gabriela Maldonado, 16, and her brother, Edward, 17, all of La Habra--pleaded not guilty to shooting into a house and car Feb. 12, then fatally shooting Leo A. Huicochea, 16, as he and a friend walked down an alley.
Deputy Dist. Atty. John S. Anderson said testimony and evidence presented at the preliminary hearing suggested that Huicochea, who lived in Huntington Beach, was an innocent victim.
Municipal Judge Tony Rackuksu ordered the three to stand trial on three counts each of murder and assault with a firearm and two counts each of shooting into an unoccupied vehicle. All three will be tried as adults.
The suspected triggerman in the Huicochea slaying, Cesar Ernesto Vasquez, 19, is still at large, police said.
Arraignment was scheduled for May 28.
The two girls are members of Las Chiquitas--the Little Girls--a La Habra gang. They will be Orange County’s first female suspects to be prosecuted in a gang-related homicide.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
