Youth, 16, to Stand Trial as Adult in Shootings
A 16-year-old Long Beach youth charged with shooting two deaf brothers--killing one--in a fight that began with a “stare-down” at a traffic light must stand trial as an adult because of the seriousness of the crime, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Pasadena Juvenile Court Judge Sandy Kriegler ruled at the conclusion of a three-day fitness hearing during which defense attorney Gerald L. Fogelman attempted to prove that Joey Paul Bellinger acted in self-defense when he killed Cesar Vieira, 30, and wounded his brother, Edward Vieira, 25, both of Palmdale.
Teen-agers who were with Bellinger in a Granada Hills parking lot testified that he fired the shots as one of the brothers was within striking distance of him and the other was charging toward him.
Prosecutors argued that Bellinger’s friends changed their stories to protect him. Kriegler concurred after reviewing police interviews with the witnesses.
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