BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 A trial date of March 23 was set Monday for Sonny Veleta, who was 16 when arrested in the shooting death of a man in East Bakersfield more than four years ago.<\/p>\n
Veleta is charged with murder, attempted robbery and other crimes in the shooting that killed 19-year-old Cesar Joseph Malta.<\/p>\n
His case was transferred to adult court \u2014 where he faces a life term in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n
On the night of Aug. 12, 2021, Malta and a passenger drove to East Bakersfield to deliver a baggie of marijuana to someone named \u201cSonny,\u201d according to testimony at an earlier hearing.<\/p>\n
When they arrived at the meeting location, they saw a Hispanic male, about 5-foot-10, wearing a hoodie, the passenger later told police.<\/p>\n
He said they pulled up and Malta rolled down his window and held out the baggie.<\/p>\n
The person in the hoodie drew a gun, the passenger said. He fired a single shot as Malta started driving away.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Veleta was linked to a Snapchat account Malta had been communicating with just before the shooting, police said. The passenger identified Veleta as the gunman in a photo lineup.<\/p>\n
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