Defense attorneys in the special circumstances trial of the man accused of murdering Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer — a Palmdale deputy from the Santa Clarita Valley — are trying to hire experts to make sure their client can get a fair trial, according to court records.
A motion filed Thursday for lawyers of Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 30, of Palmdale, asked the court to find him indigent and pay an expert to analyze the recent media coverage.
There was no action listed Tuesday from Judge Scott Andrew Yang on the request, according to L.A. County Superior Court records available online.
“The need for his services arises directly from the prejudicial media environment and the risk of bias due to the nature of the charges against the defendant,” according to the statement signed by George K. Rosenstock, attorney for Salazar.
Rosenstock asked and received 20 hours of service for Ross Johnson at $475 an hour to analyze the media coverage and determine whether it’s possible for Salazar to get a fair trial at the Antelope Valley Courthouse. The amount is not to exceed $9,500.
He is accused of shooting Clinkunbroomer while the deputy was on duty, driving his patrol vehicle, on Sept. 16, 2023.
Prosecutors allege the special circumstances that Salazar committed the murder of the deputy intentionally and while lying in wait, which make Salazar eligible for the death sentence if he’s convicted.
Rosenstock said he’s already seen evidence of bias from the community in the conversation surrounding the crime his client is accused of committing, “especially in a community where law enforcement personnel live and work,” Rosenstock wrote, adding the community is largely supported in the area because of the presence of the police, Sheriff’s Department and a state correctional facility.
Rosenstock stated comments posted about the story through “extensive media coverage” and on social media networks like “Facebook, Nextdoor, Ring and Patch,” have had racist undertones against his client.
“The comments posted on these platforms regarding the defendant and the circumstances surrounding the case have, in many instances, been racially charged and inflammatory,” he said. “The extent of the coverage on both traditional and social media poses a significant risk to the fairness of the trial, particularly in a community like Lancaster, which has a substantial population of law enforcement personnel.”’
The victim’s family also hired an attorney within months of the deputy’s death, seeking $20 million and claiming Clinkunbroomer’s death was preventable and the product of “the intentional actions of the (Sheriff’s Department) and Sheriff (Robert) Luna’s intentional actions in forcing LASD employees to work such massive overtime (in violation of past memoranda of understanding) that created a known safety hazard, making such a tragedy foreseeable, and preventable but for the defendant’s actions,” according to a November 2023 statement from Brad Gage, the family’s attorney.
Clinkunbroomer “was forced to work 100-plus hours of overtime each month,” according to the family’s statement.
Clinkunbroomer was driving westbound on Avenue Q in a marked patrol vehicle when Salazar drove up alongside him and fired into the car, shooting Clinkunbroomer in the head and killing him, according to the family’s lawsuit.
A representative for the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Tuesday did not immediately know whether a decision has been made as to whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty if Salazar is convicted.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman issued a March 25 statement regarding his intended policy change with respect to seeking the death penalty in “the most egregious cases,” which repealed the policy of his predecessor George Gascón.
“Effective immediately, the prior administration’s extreme and categorical policy forbidding prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in any case is rescinded,” Hochman wrote. “In its place, the new murder with special circumstances policy will consider pursuing the death penalty only after an extensive and comprehensive review and only in exceedingly rare cases.”
Salazar remains in custody without bail until his next hearing, which is scheduled for June 26.
