BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The trial of a man charged with murder and attempted robbery in a 2021 shooting in East Bakersfield was postponed Friday after defense counsel said additional time was needed for investigation — and to prepare a plea offer for the prosecutor to consider.
Defense attorney Roger Ponce told the court he wants to see if the case can be resolved before trial.
Ponce represents Sonny Veleta, who was 16 at the time of the shooting and whose case was transferred to adult court, where he faces a life term in prison if found guilty.
Veleta is now scheduled for trial April 27.
On the night of Aug. 12, 2021, Cesar Joseph Malta and a passenger drove to East Bakersfield to deliver a baggie of marijuana to someone named “Sonny,” according to testimony at an earlier hearing.
The passenger said they arrived at the agreed upon location and saw a Hispanic male wearing a hoodie. Malta rolled down the window and held out the baggie.
The person in the hoodie drew a gun and fired a single shot as Malta started driving away, the passenger said.
The passenger said he helped steer as Malta, wounded, began losing consciousness. They stopped at the intersection of Baker and Oregon streets, where the passenger called 911.
Malta was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Veleta was linked to a Snapchat account Malta had been communicating with just before the shooting, police said, and the passenger identified Veleta as the gunman in a photo lineup.
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