Six defendants appear in S.J. court

STOCKTON — If all goes as scheduled, the preliminary hearing for six suspects in a gang-related crime spree that included three homicides will begin in less than a month.

The suspects were in court Monday morning for a brief session before Judge Lauren Thomasson attended by, among others, the mother of 18-year-old murder victim Briana Ballesteros.

“It’s very difficult,” Yolanda Inzunza, Ballesteros’ tearyeyed mother, said through an interpreter after the court session in downtown Stockton.

The suspects in court Monday were among 10 alleged members of the East Oak Street Norteños arrested during a nine-month investigation by the police departments from Stockton, Lodi, Manteca and Tracy, as well as the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Justice.

The six defendants Monday are alleged to have been involved in the 2017 killings of 60-year-old Neftali Gonzalez Castaneda; Daniel Ibarra, 18; and Ballesteros.

Five of the defendants — Jesus Martinez, 21; Salvador Vega, 28; Daniel Maya, 19; Adrian Henry, 21; and Esthefania Garces, 27 — are in custody. The sixth, 20-year-old Letisia Lopez, is out of custody and appeared in court Monday, as required.

The four male suspects face multiple charges, including murder, attempted murder and conspiracy, and face gang enhancements, according to court documents. Garces and Lopez are charged as accessories with gang enhancements.

Garces’ attorney, Mark Thiel, said following court Monday that he is hoping this week to gain his client’s release on her own recognizance, and possibly to work out a plea agreement.

Appearing Monday in orange jail garb, Garces is in custody in lieu of bail set at $550,000. Bail is not allowed for the four male defendants in the killings of Castaneda, Ibarra and Ballesteros.

Law-enforcement officials announced the arrests in the larger investigation into the East Oak Street Norteños on June 19.