Juvenile suspect in South Monterey County murders transferring to adult court, D.A. says

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) -- The Monterey County District Attorney says the juvenile suspect in a string of murders in South Monterey County has been ordered to be transferred to adult court.

Angel Evans, now 18-years-old, is one of four people suspected of shooting and killing six people and wounding 11 others in a pair of shootings February and March of 2024.

The D.A. is asking the court to have him sit in the same hearing as co-defendants Pedro Nava and Jonathan Cervantes.

While three people are in custody for the murders, investigators are still searching for a fourth suspect they initially told KION was involved in the King City mass shooting.

"There's still hope of finding them," says Berkeley Brannon with the Monterey County D.A.'s office. "We're amassing evidence to do so."

The next scheduled hearing for Evans is December 10, 2024.

Court documents show timeline of events leading up to deadly South Monterey County shootings

All three suspects in multiple murder investigations in South Monterey County have pleaded not guilty in court on Friday.

The first to appear in court in the morning was a Greenfield teen, identified as "Angel E." in court documents.

The D.A. said Angel E. entered a not guilty plea and is expected back in court on June 4, 2024.

Meanwhile, Pedro Manuel Nava and Jonathan Cervantes also pleaded not guilty and are due back in court on May 28.

The D.A.'s office said they plan on having Angel E.'s case moved out of juvenile court and are attempting to try him as an adult.

Nava, Cervantes and Angel E. were each arrested on multiple murder and gang charges. Each are from Greenfield.

According to court documents, Nava is the individual who directed the shooters on who to target. He still faces murder charges for his alleged involvement.

Sheriff Tina Nieto said in Friday's press conference more than 80 warrants were served by multiple agencies to get justice for the people killed in the multiple shootings that left six people dead in total. 11 others were injured in the King City shooting.

"Although this pain will lessen in time it will always be present," said King City Police Chief James Hunt. "Every person that calls King City home felt the loss. The loss of people that perished and the loss of a sense of security."

Four people were killed at a birthday party in King City back on March 3, 2024. The Soledad cousins were killed on February 4.

"Gang murders are a war of attrition. Their purpose is simply body count as proof of devotion to the gang," said District Attorney Spokesperson Berkeley Brannon. "There's no other sense to be made of these things. It's just tragic and horrific."

Here's the list of victims in each shooting:

King City

• Alicia Aparicio
• Francisco Aldape
• Olivo Pina
• Mario Guzman

Soledad

• Jack Canchola
• Andres "Chavita" Garcia

Court documents also provide a timeline of events from late January to early March:

Timeline of Events

• Monterey Vehicle theft: January 24 to January 26 - During this time, court documents indicate an individual identified as "Angel E." stole a Kia Optima from a Monterey neighborhood and parked it near their home in Prunedale.
  • "The cars were instrumental because one of them was left at the Thorne Road double homicide. There was a car crash that ended up in a chase and the perpetrators didn't have time to clean out the car. There was DNA in that car," said Brannon.
• King City Brandishing and Salinas Big 5 Robbery: February 3 - Court documents show Angel E. and Cervantes drove the stolen vehicle to King City and at one point confronted a man walking on the sidewalk. During this confrontation the suspects allegedly showed a weapon to the individual and escaped the scene. Five hours later, court documents say the suspects and three more gang members traveled to a Salinas Big 5 and robbed the store. The document says they stole ammunition. Forensic testing on a vape pen dropped at the store revealed Cervantes was at the location at the time of the robbery.
  • "The purpose of this robbery was just to steal ammunition to do killings. We were able to identify some of those robbers, which led us to identify the shooters," said Brannon.
• Thorne Road double murder of Soledad cousins: February 4 - Jack Canchola and Andres Garcia were leaving a large church event in Soledad after Jack was growing anxious around the large crowd. They traveled south from Soledad to an area near the Salinas River and were broadcasting an Instagram live of their travels, joking with one another while listening to music. The broadcast cut short when court documents say Cervantes and Angel E. drove up to their vehicle in the stolen Kia and threatened them. After Jack called 911, the CHP responded to the scene but found the cousins were already shot multiple times. Court documents indicate Nava picked up Cervantes and Angel E. from the scene to drop them off in Greenfield, but left multiple items inside the stolen Kia.
• Pacific Grove Burglary and Vehicle Theft: February 17 and February 24 - According to court documents, Angel E. goes to Pacific Grove and steals a credit card. He allegedly later uses the card to purchase an Apple gift card. Then seven days later, Nava allegedly tells Angel E. to steal another car, resulting in the theft of a Kia Rio.
• King City Mass Shooting: March 3 - Alicia Aparicio is celebrating her 33rd birthday party at a home on North 2nd Street in King City. Court documents indicate Cervantes, Angel E. and a third gunman entered the stolen Kia at 5:01 p.m. and drove past it several times. At around 5:58 p.m., court documents say the suspects exited the Kia and started shooting at the people at the party. Surveillance footage caught the incident on camera, with dozens of rounds fired in less than 30 seconds. Aparicio, Guzman, Perez and Pina were killed. The suspects then returned to the Kia and escaped to Greenfield.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office confirmed the timeline of events listed by KION from the court document.

The sheriff's office inmate log shows Cervantes was previously booked into the Monterey County Jail on a robbery charge back on March 26.

The D.A. indicates Angel E. is the "juvenile" in this investigation. Angel E. was arrested and booked back on March 26, according to the D.A.'s office.

According to the D.A., the "third gunman" indicated in the King City mass shooting with involvement in the Soledad cousins murders is not being arraigned today.

"The reason the third gunman hasn't been filed on is because at this moment we don't have proof beyond a reasonable doubt to prove that case," said Brannon. "Although a lot of leaders are talking about the case today, as they should be, the investigators are still working today...right now. We're going to bring this guy to justice."

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office would not comment on the third gunman.

The family of Alicia Aparicio issued the following statement to KION:

"I want there to be justice for my daughter. Hopefully they spend the rest of their lives in prison. I'm thankful to everyone who has been helping out in the investigation. Even though they'll be in jail, I will never get to see my daughter again."

Felipa Ramirez, Alicia Aparicio's mother