Homeowner Who Shot Teen to Be Tried on Murder Charge

A Buena Park homeowner who shot and killed a 17-year-old after the theft of a plastic Halloween pumpkin was ordered Thursday to stand trial on murder and assault charges in a case that gained headlines nationwide.

Pete Tavita Solomona, 47, is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 22 and is expected to plead not guilty. His attorney, Mark Werksman, said the shooting was accidental and that his client never intended to hurt anyone.

Prosecutors say Solomona shot Brandon Ketsdever of Buena Park with a .357 magnum on Oct. 18 after the teenager and two of his friends stole the $20 decoration from Solomona’s frontyard.

Friends of Ketsdever described him as a popular Kennedy High School athlete known for his sense of humor and pranks. One of the teens with him on the night of the shooting described the pumpkin theft as just that--a prank.

The slain youth’s friends contended that they mistook Solomona’s house for that of an old friend, swiped the ornament for laughs and then took off in a car. They said they returned to the scene of the theft after an altercation with another motorist, who chased them back through the neighborhood.

When the pursuit came to a halt outside Solomona’s house, the homeowner came outside armed with the handgun and confronted the youths. He was standing no more than an arm’s length from their car when the victim was shot and killed, one of the teenagers said.

The shooting shook up many in the quiet residential neighborhood near Knott’s Berry Farm where residents knew Solomona as a dedicated family man and an active member of the local Mormon church.

The unusual facts surrounding the case quickly garnered headlines nationwide and reignited the debate over gun control.