The L.A. County District Attorney’s Office has for the first time identified a juvenile gang member as the lone suspected shooter in a March 2023 Newhall double-murder believed to be behind a growing spate of gang threats and violence in that community.  The DA’s Office has been quiet on its plans to charge the boy as an adult – he was 16 when the deaths occurred. Now the defense attorney for the other suspect is looking for a plea deal, according to court records obtained by The Signal.   A recent filing in the case also revealed the challenges faced by prosecutors under the leadership of former District Attorney George Gascón.  A Jan. 2 declaration from Nick Kang, deputy district attorney in the DA’s Gang Homicide Division, for the first time identifies Steven Rosas, documented Canyon Country gang member, as the “actual shooter” in the March 18, 2023, shooting deaths of Brian Chevez, 25, and Cameron Stokes, 16, at a community pool.  Anthony Martinez Ortiz, who was 18 at the time of the murders, is described by Kang as “an aider and abettor,” in Kang’s declaration agreeing to a defense motion to continue the trial.  James Blatt, Martinez Ortiz’s defense attorney, said Kang indicated that transfer proceedings for Rosas, which have been continued to Feb. 6, are expected to change the nature of their case.  The DA’s office has declined to comment on the transfer hearing, but both the prosecution and the defense are making plans in anticipation of completion of the transfer hearing, which has been scheduled for Department 277 in juvenile court. All juvenile court records are sealed to the public.    “Based on this information, defense counsel believes that meaningful settlement discussions can now proceed forward with the people, and defense counsel would like an opportunity to resolve this case prior to the preliminary hearing,” Blatt wrote in his motion.  Kang’s statement also provided insight to the apparent dysfunction under Gascón, describing a problem he had in obtaining the “murder book” for the case, which is the collection of evidence put together by Homicide Bureau detectives in an investigation.   “Prior to the election of now District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman, former District Attorney Mr. George Gascón had created a committee to determine whether certain juveniles would have a transfer hearing,” Kang wrote. “Despite deputy district attorney efforts to secure a decision on the transfer of the minor shooter, no response was given to me, or the prosecuting deputy district attorney of the minor since the filing of the instant case and until Mr. Nathan J. Hochman’s election as district attorney for Los Angeles County.”  Kang wrote that he was told the request to transfer the case was agreed to by Gascón, but neither Kang nor the prosecutor in charge of Rosas’ case at the time received any assistance or coordination from the DA’s office.   Kang also stated Hochman returned to a system similar to the one used under Gascón’s predecessor, Jackie Lacey, in which the head deputy, the deputy in charge and the Juvenile Crimes Bureau chief comprise a panel that decides on whether a juvenile’s case is transferred.  Kang said it served “judicial economy” to combine the cases into adult court, as the minor shooter in the case “committed two first-degree murders while lying in wait, and multiple murder, which makes him eligible for special circumstance murder filing.”  Martinez Ortiz is due back in court on April 8.  The post DA IDs teen as shooter; 2nd suspect seeks plea deal  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.