Convicted murderer in connection with another murder after prosecutor Gascón charged him as a minor in LA County

“Honestly, it was devastating,” says Cynthia Carrera.

LOS ANGELES – Almost five years ago, Cynthia's brother Alfredo Carrera and his friend José Flores Velázquez were murdered in South Los Angeles simply because they were on the territory of a rival gang.

None of the men belonged to a gang. Alfredo was about to become a father, and Jose, a student at UCI, had just accepted a job at NASA.

“This was a cold-blooded murder. And it wasn't just one person; two innocent people lost their lives for no reason,” Carrera said.

Seventeen-year-old Shanice Dyer, a member of the East Coast Crips, was charged with first-degree murder by then-District Attorney Jackie Lacey and was scheduled to be tried as an adult. However, that changed when George Gascón took office in 2020.

“The public needs to know what’s going on,” said Michele Hanisee, president of the Association of Deputy District Attorneys in LA County. She explains: “One of the many blanket policies that Gascón implemented on his first day in office was that no crime committed by a juvenile – no matter the circumstances – would ever be referred to adult court.”

As a result, Shanice Dyer was tried as a juvenile. Although she was convicted of two murders, she served less than four years in prison. “It's still very difficult. And now we find out that this person committed another crime and did this to another family,” Carrera said.

The same woman who killed Alfredo and Jose is now accused of murder again, allegedly as an accessory to the murder of 21-year-old Joshua Streeter. Retired Los Angeles District Attorney Kathy Cady, now a victim advocate, says: “George Gascón refuses to accept responsibility for the fact that his policies led to this murder. He hides behind explanations that make no sense.” Carrera adds: “Gascón's reform was aimed at rehabilitating people and giving them a second chance, but since the incident no one has cared about the victims. Nobody ever asked, 'What can we do for you?'”

George Gascón declined our request for an interview, but his office released the following statement:

“Our hearts break for the victim and his family. This is an unimaginable tragedy. However, it is very unlikely that Ms Dyer would have been placed under any administration. According to the law, there are five factors that a juvenile court would have taken into account.” Therefore, it is highly unlikely that Ms. Dyer would have been transferred to the juvenile justice system even if the court had held a transfer hearing.

1. She was under the influence of adult men and acted at their direction, suggesting that she did not display a high level of criminal sophistication;
2. your lack of a serious criminal history at this time;
3. The amount of time and opportunities that remained at that point to rehabilitate her in the juvenile justice system; And
4. The lack of any previous opportunities to rehabilitate them in the juvenile justice system.

In March 2022, LADA's Juvenile Alternative Charging Evaluation Committee (JACE) was founded. Since then, 23 adult court transfer requests have been approved by JACE.

Of the approved cases, five JACE cases were heard in juvenile court.
Four JACE transfer requests were rejected by the court.
1 JACE transfer request was granted by the court.
1 JACE transfer application is currently still in progress.