BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) \u2014 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 \u2014 and to prepare a plea offer for the prosecutor to consider.<\/p>\n
Defense attorney Roger Ponce told the court he wants to see if the case can be resolved before trial.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Veleta is now scheduled for trial April 27.<\/p>\n
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 \u201cSonny,\u201d according to testimony at an earlier hearing.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The person in the hoodie drew a gun and fired a single shot as Malta started driving away, the passenger said.<\/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
Malta was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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