2 Murder Suspects May Be Tried as Adults

Two 17-year-old youths accused of murdering a Cabrillo Village man will have hearings next month to determine if they should be tried as adults, a judge ruled Tuesday.

The two youths appeared at separate arraignment hearings held in juvenile court. Both pleaded not guilty to charges of murder in connection with the shooting last October of Jose Guadalupe Gutierrez. Both also pleaded not guilty to felony charges of shooting at an occupied dwelling.

The names of the teen-agers have not been released because of their age, but prosecutors have said they will seek to have the pair tried as adults.

One of the youths will have his hearing on May 2. The hearing for the second juvenile was set for May 5.

The suspects are accused of shooting Gutierrez as he stood outside a building in Cabrillo Village where he had led an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Gutierrez, the father of four, lived just three blocks away.

Police believe the shots were intended for rival gang members but instead hit Gutierrez, who police said was an innocent bystander. A third suspect in the case, 21-year-old Rudolfo Leo Martinez was arrested last November and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

His sentencing is scheduled for April 28.