Student to face charges of attempted murder, 3 other felonies in shooting
The Ridgway High School student suspected of shooting a classmate steps from their school this week, prompting a lockdown at the Santa Rosa campus and two others, was charged with attempted murder and three additional felony charges during a hearing Friday at Sonoma County’s Juvenile Justice Center.
The severity of the charges filed against the teen, identified during the hearing as Jose Guillermo Santos-buenrostro, 17, led prosecutors on Friday to request moving the case into adult court, a move that would lead to a harsher sentence if Santosbuenrostro is found guilty of the crimes, Judge Kenneth Gnoss said.
Santos-buenrostro was additionally charged with battery causing serious bodily injury, discharge of a firearm in a school zone and assault with a firearm during Friday’s hearing. Many of the charges carry enhancements that would add time to Santos-buenrostro’s sentence if he’s convicted as an adult, Gnoss said.
A special hearing to determine whether Santosbuenrostro should be tried as an adult or a juvenile will be scheduled at a later date, Gnoss said.
Santos-buenrostro listened intently as Gnoss read the charges, as did several family members who attended Friday’s hearing, among them the teen’s mother and sister, his legal guardian, Gnoss said. The teen, dressed in a gray Tshirt and dark green sweatpants, was serious in his demeanor and spoke clearly when Gnoss asked him questions about his name and address.
While California laws protect minors in juvenile court proceedings from being identified, Friday’s arraignment was open to the public.
“Given the charges that are before the court, this is an open hearing,” Gnoss said Friday morning.
The most serious charge, attempted murder, carries a sentence of 15 years to life in prison if Santos-buenrostro is found guilty in adult court, or until Santos-buenrostro is 25 years old if he’s found guilty in the juvenile court system, Gnoss said.
He will remain in custody at Sonoma County’s juvenile hall at least until the next hearing, when Loughborough said he wanted to revisit the topic of his client’s detention.