The alleged sexual assault of a teen girl as the motive to the killing of Caleb Quick in Clovis was the center of pretrial jostling Thursday in Fresno County Superior Court, where one of the teens charged with murder is days from a juvenile trial.
The hearing Thursday afternoon put many of the final blocks in place before opening statements and the questioning of witnesses were set to begin Monday morning for Cassie Michael, who was the alleged getaway driver in the April 23, 2025, execution-style killing of Caleb Quick in a Clovis McDonald’s parking lot.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office asked Judge Brian Alvarez to limit the questioning of witnesses around an alleged sexual assault by Quick on a teen girl — who has only been described as “Jane Doe” — who was a friend of Michael. The girl is on the prosecution’s witness list.
Clovis police alleged the sexual assault was the motivation behind the slaying. Michael was the driver for her boyfriend, Byron Rangel, who shot Quick in the back of the head, according to prosecutors. Both teens were 16 on the night they allegedly killed the 18-year-old Quick.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Kendall Reynolds said in court Thursday the conversation between Jane Doe and Michael around the alleged assault and Michael’s reaction were all fair game in the trial, but he asked the judge to prevent further questioning of other witnesses about whether they believed the sexual assault occurred.
“It’s irrelevant in general. It’s really meant to inflame the proceedings,” he said in the courtroom. “Vetting the truth, the veracity, is not probative of guilt or innocence.”
The prosecution will introduce text messages — referencing the alleged assault and conversation between the two girls — that need further questioning, according to one of Michael’s attorneys, Sally Vecchiarelli. The prosecution should not be allowed to restrict the defense while trying to use the alleged assault as a murder motive.
“It’s kind of like he’s requesting (that) he’s allowed to use it but we’re not,” she told the judge.
Because the trial is a juvenile case, there is no jury to hear the evidence. The judge will act as the finder of truth in the case, which means he can hear the evidence and determine on his own what is relevant, Vecchiarelli said.
Alvarez ultimately decided he could not offer a “prophylactic ruling” against questioning, saying it would be difficult to draw the line before hearing the questions. He said the attorneys will have to be ready to object questioning they believe to be too far.
“It’s going to require you to stay on your feet,” he said in the courtroom.
Alvarez was assigned the case on Thursday, when he also made an ethical disclosure he said was required under court rules. The judge said he endorsed Jeff Hammerschmidt, Michael’s other attorney, in the lawyer’s race for the Fresno County Superior Court Judge Seat 7. Hammerschmidt’s judicial race is headed for a runoff in November against Jose Salazar, a public defender.
The shooting death of Caleb Quick in Clovis
Michael has been charged with murder plus an enhancement for being a co-conspirator in a crime involving a gun. A Fresno County judge determined in May the Fresno DA’s Office failed to meet the requirement to have her transferred to adult court, so she faces a juvenile trial.
As a juvenile, Michael faces up to seven years of confinement or up until she turns 25, prosecutors have said.
Police allege she helped plan the killing of Quick on April 23, 2025, in the parking lot of McDonald’s near Herndon and Willow avenues. Rangel shot Quick in the back of the head at arm’s length as Quick left the eatery, according to prosecutors.
Michael’s attorneys have argued the teen girl was not aware that Rangel had a gun and planned to use it on Quick.
Rangel is awaiting his own transfer hearing, which will determine if he can be tried as an adult for a charge of murder plus an enhancement for lying in wait.
Michael’s trial resumes at 9 a.m. Monday.
Caleb Quick, 18, was killed in April at a McDonald’s parking lot in Clovis, California. Caleb Quick’s GoFundMe 
A white Tesla is shown on a surveillance video after the shooting death of Caleb Quick. CLOVIS POLICE DEPARTMENT
This story was originally published July 30, 2026 at 4:39 PM.
Related Stories from Fresno Bee
Merced Sun-Star
Reporter Thaddeus Miller has covered cities in the central San Joaquin Valley since 2010, writing about everything from breaking news to government and police accountability. A native of Fresno, he joined The Fresno Bee in 2019 after time in Merced and Los Banos.