SAN LEANDRO — Life appeared to be going nice for Izabella Raquedan-Retuta and her boyfriend, Angelo Ray.
The 2 teenagers had been relationship for months. Ray, 18, was set to graduate from Lincoln Excessive College in San Leandro, whereas Raquedan-Retuta had celebrated her seventeenth birthday weeks earlier. To outdoors observers, they appeared like two teenagers in love, able to spend the summer time collectively.
However now, Raquedan-Retuta — who glided by “Bella” to family and friends — is lifeless and Ray is in jail, going through a homicide cost that would put him in jail for all times if he’s convicted. All of it boils all the way down to what occurred inside Raquedan-Retuta’s bed room on 1700 block of Bali Terrace in San Leandro, on the afternoon of Might 12.
Different members of the family heard a gunshot and known as 911, however Ray is the one one who is aware of precisely what occurred. In line with authorities, he’s instructed a constant story because the deadly capturing: that he sincerely believed the gun was empty, however that, sure, he was the one to drag the set off. He allegedly mentioned as a lot to an Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy named Chavez — whose first title isn’t listed in courtroom data — who was one of many first responders to get to the home.
That was all he wanted to say. Sheriff’s deputies slapped handcuffs on him proper there inside Raquedan-Retuta’s family and booked him on a homicide cost. Ray’s deputy public defender, Jennie Otis, has tried — to date, with out success — to get him launched from jail. Her argument is easy: Ray’s story is the reality, and now he’s grieving his girlfriend’s loss of life from jail.
“According to his report, Angelo told Deputy Chavez that he and Bella were ‘playing’ with the gun and that neither of them knew it was loaded. Angelo said he pulled the trigger because he did not believe the gun was loaded. At that time, Angelo thought he shot her in the shoulder,” Otis wrote in a movement for bail. “Deputy Chavez described that Angelo was ‘cry(ing) hysterically as I spoke to him.’ ”
He wasn’t the one one. The area people has responded to Raquedan-Retuta’s loss of life with an outpouring of grief. An area little league subject — the place she was identified to volunteer at a snack bar — held a candlelight vigil two days later. A GoFundMe web page for her household has raised $25,000 and counting.
Police reviews and courtroom data describing the incident say days earlier, Ray purchased a pistol from somebody for $900. His legal professional says that was for cover, following a latest incident the place “several young men brandished guns at him and his friends” after college. Ray was set to graduate from Lincoln Excessive in coming weeks, and the continuation college’s principal wrote a assist letter to the choose praising his “outstanding work” there.
Otis’ movement says Ray and Raquedan-Retuta had “dry fired” the gun earlier than, which she attributed to their underdeveloped teenage brains. That’s apparently what occurred on the afternoon of Might 12, when Raquedan-Retuta staggered into her aunt’s room and collapsed on the mattress following a gunshot.
Ray got here in behind her. The household had stationary cameras on inside the house that captured what occurred subsequent, authorities mentioned.
“She got shot,” Ray reportedly instructed Raquedan-Retuta’s aunt, who promptly jumped out of bed and commenced screaming for assist, slapping Ray on the again on her means out. Two others within the residence known as police, whereas Raquedan-Retuta’s aunt demanded to know the place the gun was.
Ray merely responded, “nobody cares,” in accordance with police. Deputies discovered a Glock 17 9mm semi-automatic pistol contained in the bed room, together with a spent cartridge. The gun had no journal inside however was geared up with a tactical strobe mild, authorities mentioned.
There was one other factor noteworthy concerning the pistol: It had been reported stolen in Decatur, Georgia, again in 2013. By some means, the pistol made its option to the Bay Space, the place a excessive schooler bought it from somebody who hasn’t but been publicly recognized, authorities say.
Ray is scheduled to have a preliminary listening to on Friday, the place a choose will assessment proof and decide if there’s sufficient for the homicide cost to stay. If there’s, the case shall be set for trial at a to-be-determined date.
The listening to may give Ray’s lawyer one other probability to petition the courtroom to set bail or launch Ray outright.
