17-year-old Ceres boy arraigned on murder charge; DA seeking to prosecute him as adult
A 17-year-old Ceres boy accused of killing a 26-year-old man was arraigned in Juvenile Court on Monday but the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office is seeking to prosecute him as an adult.
Jonathan Edward Castillo is charged with murder, possession of an assault weapon and being a minor in possession of ammunition in the death of Alexis Perez in Ceres. He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Perez, 26 of Ceres, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in the driver’s seat of a Honda Accord that crashed into a parked car in the 2600 block of Magnolia Street on Jan. 21, police have said. He died later that day at a hospital.
Ceres Police have not released a motive or said if there are any other suspects in the homicide.
They served search warrants at two homes last week and arrested Castillo.
The District Attorney’s Office on Friday filed charges against him as well as a motion to seek his transfer to adult criminal court.
A transfer hearing, which has not yet been scheduled, will be held to determine where Castillo will be prosecuted.
Evidence presented at the hearing for the judge to consider will be the gravity of the offense and degree of criminal sophistication exhibited by the minor; whether he can be rehabilitated prior to the expiration of the juvenile court’s jurisdiction; his delinquent history and any previously successful rehabilitation attempts.
During Castillo’s arraignment, for which all parties appeared virtually, Juvenile Court Judge Rubén Villalobos said Castillo would face a maximum confinement up to the age of 25 in the Division of Juvenile Justice if convicted in Juvenile Court.
Deputy District Attorney Jon Appleby said he still had to research what Castillo’s maximum confinement would be if convicted of the charges in adult criminal court but state law requires minors convicted as adults be eligible for parole after 25 years of incarceration.
Castillo’s mother, who also attended the hearing virtually, could not be reached for comment on Monday.
This story was originally published February 8, 2021 at 11:41 AM.
