A 2023 gang-related double murder in Newhall will provide an early test for District Attorney Nathan Hochman’s directives and his office’s new Juvenile Justice Committee.
The committee is a part of Hochman’s special directives intended to overhaul how underage defendants can be prosecuted — for a second time in four years.
The DA’s office filed murder charges against Anthony Martinez Ortiz, 19, for his alleged involvement in the shooting of Brian Chevez, 25, and Cameron Stokes, 16, at the community pool for The Village Apartments on Valle Del Oro in Newhall.
Homicide detectives also named Steven Rosas, a 16-year-old at the time of the March 18, 2023, murders, as a suspect.
He was charged separately for a case that’s been in the juvenile court system.
On Monday, Martinez Ortiz was ordered back to Department G in San Fernando Superior Court on April 8.
Rosas’ hearing Wednesday will be a status conference to determine “whether and when a hearing to transfer the juvenile to adult court will be conducted,” according to an email from Zara Lockshin, public information specialist, on behalf of the office.
The office has declined to answer questions or share any additional details regarding Rosas’ charges or alleged role in the murders.
Nick Kang, the deputy district attorney assigned to Martinez Ortiz’s case, also has declined to comment, referring questions to the media communications office.
Prosecutors are evaluating the status of Rosas’ case in the juvenile justice system based on two factors, according to a statement from the office: guidelines mandated in Special Directive 24-06 and in WIC section 707(a)(3).
“Based on the totality of the circumstances, filing a transfer motion was the appropriate way to proceed in the case,” according to Lockshin’s email.
The Welfare and Institutions Code, created in 1975, lists a series of violent crimes for which juveniles over the age of 16 can be charged as adults.
But under former District Attorney George Gascón, that was rarely, if ever, employed as a matter of policy.
Special Directive 24-06 was one of several Hochman issued during his first month in office that changed prosecutorial policy from the previous administration.
One of Hochman’s policies, Special Directive 24-04, repealed nine of the policy directives from Gascón on Dec. 3, the day of Hochman’s swearing in, according to a copy found online.
Gascón announced sweeping policy changes on his first day of office, Dec. 7, 2020, angering the prosecutors’ union. A repeated complaint was that there was no prior discussion of the changes described as “handcuffing” their ability to bring justice.
Hochman was one of 12 who ran against Gascón and described Gascón’s policies as “soft on crime.” After the primary, Hochman earned the union’s endorsement and defeated Gascón in the Nov. 5 election. He also immediately delivered changes to his office’s prosecutorial policies.
The measures repealed by 24-04 included Gascón’s Special Directive 20-09, involving youth justice, which called for the “lightest touch” necessary in order to provide public safety.
Special Directive 24-06, which was issued Dec. 23, created Hochman’s newly formed JJC — the head deputy, the assistant head deputy of the juvenile division, and the bureau director of specialized prosecutions — and granted them authority to transfer cases from the juvenile to the adult criminal justice system.
Rosas’ prosecution appears to be one of the first such cases from the SCV.
Lockshin referred all questions regarding Hochman’s special directives to the unit that handles Public Records Act requests, which is the office’s stated protocol.
In considering a juvenile’s case, the JJC is to look at the factors in the WIC: the degree of criminal sophistication; whether the minor can be rehabilitated prior to the expiration of the juvenile court’s jurisdiction; previous delinquent history; success of previous attempts by the juvenile court to rehabilitate the minor; and the circumstances and gravity of the offense, according to the directive.
Both Martinez Ortiz and Rosas are documented members of a Canyon Country gang, according to court records obtained by The Signal.
Local gang detectives believe the murders are linked to a recent rise in local gang violence, according to courthouse records of their sworn statements from subsequent investigations.
Officials said policy prohibits the release of any information about Rosas’ custody status as a minor.
Martinez Ortiz remains in custody without bail at Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles.
