Youth, 16, Enters Plea of Guilty in 2 Slayings : Saticoy: Carlos Vargas will testify against three co-defendants. Prosecutors will drop special-circumstance allegation in the shooting.

A 16-year-old Ventura youth pleaded guilty Monday in the drive-by slayings of two Saticoy men and agreed to testify against three co-defendants.

In exchange for Carlos Vargas’ plea of guilty to murder and conspiracy charges, prosecutors said they will drop a special-circumstance allegation, which could have resulted in a life sentence without possibility of parole.

Ventura County Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury, who has a longstanding policy against plea bargains, acknowledged that he had made one with Vargas.

“That’s what it was,” Bradbury said. “It’s not something we like to do, but sometimes it’s necessary.” He said prosecutors believe that Vargas’ testimony will help convict the other defendants.

Four youths were arrested a few days after the drive-by shooting April 7 that killed Javier Ramirez, 19, and Rolando Martinez, 20, and wounded two other men in Cabrillo Village in Saticoy. Each of the suspects was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of attempted murder and conspiracy.

One of the youths, Joseph Scholle of El Rio, is 15. By law, he must remain in the juvenile court system and cannot be imprisoned beyond his 26th birthday.

But the other suspects--Vargas, Edward (Tony) Throop and Vincent Medrano--were ordered to stand trial as adults.

Prosecutors also charged them with a “special-circumstance” allegation that more than one person was killed in the crime. If convicted of the murder charges and the special-circumstance allegation, they could face life in prison without possibility of parole. Because they are minors, none are eligible for the death penalty.

In agreeing to drop the special allegation against Vargas in exchange for his testimony, “we filled in a lot of the gaps” in the case against Throop and Medrano, Bradbury said.

“We had a troublesome case,” he said. “This significantly strengthens it.”

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Vincent J. O’Neill Jr. agreed. “It’s a good deal,” he said. “If we didn’t think there was a need for his testimony, we wouldn’t do it.”

Throop’s attorney, Deputy Public Defender Christina Briles, said Vargas’ testimony may help prosecutors prove that there was a conspiracy before the shooting. That would help establish the premeditation necessary to win a first-degree murder conviction, she said.

Conviction on two counts of first-degree murder will be necessary to sustain the special-circumstance allegation, she said.

“I’m surprised that they felt their case was so weak,” Briles said.

Vargas’ attorney, Willard P. Wiksell, said he initiated the plea bargain discussions with Deputy Dist. Atty. Peter Kossoris. He said the deal provides his client more than the chance of regaining his freedom someday.

“He thought he might be able to help right the terrible tragedy that he’s been a part of,” Wiksell said.

Vargas allegedly drove the car while Throop fired the shots. The attack was allegedly meant to settle old scores against a Cabrillo Village gang, but the victims were not gang members, investigators said.

Vargas entered the guilty pleas late Monday afternoon after Superior Court Judge Robert J. Soares ordered him tried as an adult. He said Vargas was unfit for the juvenile system because of the seriousness of the offense and the criminal sophistication displayed by the defendant.

“The circumstances of this offense . . . strike fear in the heart of every member of this community,” Soares said, noting that the victims were “standing innocently in their yard at night” while attending a baptism party.

As for criminal sophistication, the judge cited evidence that the youths bought the .22-caliber rifle hours before the shooting; that they scored the bullets with X’s to enhance their deadly impact; that they carefully planned their escape from Cabrillo Village, and that they tried to cover up their involvement in the shooting.

Throughout the hearing, Vargas’ mother sat behind him, sobbing quietly as an interpreter translated the proceedings into Spanish. After the guilty pleas were entered and before her son was led back to Juvenile Hall, the tiny woman asked to speak to the judge.

“Please don’t put my child with the bigger boys,” she pleaded in Spanish. “He is only 16, and for me, he was never a problem.”

She said Vargas has an ulcer and has not been properly fed while in custody. “Please allow me to bring him something to eat,” she said.

Finally, she said, “Please don’t give him such a long time, because he is my only son.”

Soares said juvenile authorities would look into her concerns about Juvenile Hall. Vargas’ sentence will be decided Dec. 6 by Superior Court Judge Allan L. Steele. Vargas faces 25 years to life in prison for each of the murder charges, plus additional time for the attempted murders and conspiracy.

Wiksell said his client was facing at least 20 years in prison, even taking into account time off for good behavior.

Throop turns 18 today and will mark the occasion by a transfer from Juvenile Hall to Ventura County Jail. His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 5. Scholle is scheduled to have a hearing Wednesday, and Medrano, 16, faces a preliminary hearing July 23.