FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — For a second day in a row, protesters gathered outside of the Fresno County Juvenile Court in support of families attending hearings and in a push to get justice reform.
Susan Grote’s son Matthew Bonds, his wife Guadalupe, his father Darrell, and his grandfather Billy were all murdered in Reedley in January 2024.
The suspect was 17 years old at the time.
Grote was back in court on Tuesday as she pushes for the case to be transferred to adult court.
“We lost four family members at one time, its just, I can’t wrap my mind around it, you know? How these people can do these crimes, but when there’s no punishment for these crimes, what message is that sending to our youth,” said Susan Grote, victims’ family member.
Stephanie Tellez’s son, Anthony Calderon, was shot and killed in central Fresno on Thanksgiving last year.
She also had a status hearing for one of the teen suspects in her son’s case.
She’s pushing for change, not just for her son, but for other victims.
“This is giving us purpose, we’re out here in solidarity and trying to support each other, come out here and do our best to reform Prop 57,” said Stephanie Tellez, mother of homicide victim.
Proposition 57 was a ballot measure approved by California voters in 2016. Proponents argue that it increases public safety through rehabilitation and saves taxpayer money by reducing the prison population.
District Attorney Lisa Smittcamp and some members of her office fiercely oppose the proposition.
Chief Deputy District Attorney of the Juvenile Unit, Galen Rutiaga, said under Prop 57, the process to transfer juvenile offenders is more complex and often takes about a year.
However, Rutiaga said the goal isn’t to transfer all teen offenders to adult court.
“We’re not going to do a stolen car, even if that individual has numerous times, that doesn’t warrant being treated as an adult,” said Galen Rutiaga, Chief Deputy District Attorney Juvenile Unit. “We’re looking at usually, typically violent crimes, they’re gonna be your shootings, armed robberies, homicides.”
He said if murder defendants aren’t transferred to adult court and tried in juvenile court, they can potentially be released well before their 25th birthday.
The families at the protest said they want to take this fight all the way to Sacramento and have been slowly gaining support from families in other parts of the state.
