East Coast Crip Shanice Dyer was prosecuted as a teenager by Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
A 17-year-old California gang member who was previously prosecuted as a minor for committing two murders five years ago is now being investigated for a third murder.
According to Fox 11, Shanice Dyer, an East Coast Crips member, was found guilty of killing Alfredo Carrera and José Flores Velázquez, his companion, in Los Angeles because they were in the gang’s area.
Jackie Lacey, the district attorney for Los Angeles County at the time, charged Dyer with premeditated murder, and an adult trial was scheduled. But after taking over as district attorney, George Gascón—who has come under fire and faced legal challenges for his lax policies—had Dyer prosecuted as a minor.
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She was found guilty of two murders, yet she spent less than four years in jail before being freed.
Dyer is now charged with encouraging and participating in Joshua Streeter’s murder, a 21-year-old.
“We are saddened for the victim and their family. This catastrophe is beyond comprehension. Nevertheless, a representative for Gascón’s office told Fox 11 that it is extremely improbable that Ms. Dyer would have been relocated under any administration. “Under the law, there are five factors that a juvenile court would have considered and weighed in determining if Ms. Dyer were amenable to remain in the juvenile system.”
“Of those five factors, only one factor, the circumstances and gravity of the offense, weighed in favor of transfer to adult court,” added the spokeswoman. Every other consideration was in support of Ms. Dyer staying in the juvenile justice system. Because of this, even in the rare event that Ms. Dyer was sent to the adult system, the court held a transfer hearing.
The spokesman lists the remaining four factors as follows: Dyer had no significant criminal history at the time; she was influenced by adult men and behaved in their direction, suggesting that she did not display a high level of criminal sophistication; the amount of time and opportunity that remained at the time to rehabilitate her in the juvenile system; and the lack of any prior opportunities to rehabilitate her in the juvenile system.
Following his election in 2020, liberal billionaire George Soros backed Gascon, who has subsequently faced many legal challenges of his own.
Under the state’s Three Strikes Law, which stipulates that defendants convicted of any new felony after being convicted of prior felonies be sentenced “for twice the term otherwise provided for the crime,” or a minimum of 25 years if they have two or more prior “strikes,” a judge blocked Gason’s policy in 2021 with the intention of preventing prosecutors from seeking longer sentences for repeat offenders. Several of his own prosecutors filed lawsuits against him in 2022, claiming that he had advocated for sentencing rules that were too soft and therefore illegal.
The Juvenile Alternative Charging Evaluation Committee (JACE) of the district attorney was established in March 2022. According to Fox, JACE has since granted 23 transfer petitions for applications to move to adult court.
Five transfer motions that have been scheduled for hearings before the juvenile court are among the approved cases; four others were refused by the court, one was granted, and one is currently pending.
