Teens Charged In 2011 Halloween Murder Have Case Continued

Posted by: Perry Smith in Santa Clarita News April 3, 2013 - 12:06 pm 0 478 Views

Three teenagers who are accused of killing a man who thought to have trying to stop a robbery on Halloween in 2011 will be back in court later this month.

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“It got continued to April 23, and the trial should start within 10 days,” said a court official at Los Angeles Superior Court in San Fernando.

Diamonte Jerome McGhee, Branden Trevaughn Higgs and Eric Michael Edwards, who all turned 18 while in custody for the crime, are being tried as adults.

The alleged triggerman in Monday’s shooting at a strip mall in Canyon Country was a repeat offender, according to a complaint filed by the District Attorney.

ORIGINAL STORY Nov. 4, 2011
Alex Sanchez was killed and Ricardo Sandoval was injured when the three suspects attempted to rob Sandoval and Sanchez, acting as a Good Samaritan, stepped in.

According to the complaint, McGhee produced a handgun and shot Sanchez in the chest and when Sandoval attempted to run away, McGhee shot him in the leg.

McGhee has a prior robbery conviction from March 2010.

All three defendants are facing five felony counts of murder, attempted murder, murder with special circumstances, conspiracy to commit a crime and second degree robbery.

While the murder charge comes with a possibility of the death penalty, District Attorney spokesperson Jane Robison said that the court will not seek the death penalty for anyone under the age of 18, even though they are being tried as adults.

“With the special circumstances, they could go away for life,” she explained.

The more serious charges are leveled at McGhee, for using the gun. He is facing 25 years to life without parole. If convicted, all three face incarceration in state prison.

McGhee is being held in lieu of $41 million bail; Higgs and Edwards are being held in lieu of $31 million each. The trio are set to be arraigned on November 17.

The alleged triggerman in Monday’s shooting at a strip mall in Canyon Country.

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