The Palmdale man accused of murder in a drive-up shooting of an Antelope Valley deputy from Castaic will not face the death penalty if convicted, according to the minute order from a Feb. 4 hearing in downtown Los Angeles.
Last week, Judge Ronald Coen ordered the record to reflect a dual plea for Kevin Eduardo Cantaneo Salazar to a single capital murder charge in the 2023 shooting death of Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer: not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.
The Homicide Bureau of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department identified Salazar as the lone suspect in what it described as an “unprovoked ambush” at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue Q more than two and a half years ago.
The trial will have two phases, according to an official from the L.A. County District Attorney’s office who spoke on background because they were not authorized to speak about this case.
The defense is essentially saying it will contest Salazar’s guilt, and then it will contest his sanity, in cases that will be separate proceedings heard by the same jury.
If he’s found guilty, per the official, then a jury would be asked to look at medical evidence in what was described as a “battle of doctors,” and decide whether Salazar would face state prison.
While the prosecution has agreed not to seek the death penalty, a special circumstance murder charge is still being applied with aggravating factors that make Salazar eligible for life without parole, if he’s convicted.
Coen ordered a panel of 100 prescreened jurors for Salazar’s trial, according to the minutes from Department 101 at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
In a motion filed last year, the defense sought to move the trial away from the Antelope Valley, where the potential for bias exists due to community support for law enforcement, according to a motion from George Rosenstock, Salazar’s attorney.
Judge Scott Yang, who presided over the case in the Antelope Valley, said due to the trial’s length and courtroom availability, it would be moved regardless and that would likely impact the potential jury pool.
Salazar was ordered back for a pretrial hearing on April 3, with a jury trial scheduled to start 8:30 a.m. Aug. 3 in the same courtroom.
