Accused killer of Caleb Quick to face judge. How is Clovis getaway driver’s trial a factor?
It will have been nearly 18 months since 18-year-old Caleb Quick was shot execution-style in the back of his head when his accused shooter, who was 16, goes into a hearing to decide if he’ll be transferred to an adult criminal court, something Quick’s family and prosecutors are seeking.
The family and the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office sought an adult trial for the accused getaway driver Cassie Michael, then 16, but that request was denied in May by a Fresno County judge. That denial raises questions about how her transfer hearing weighs onto the same kind of hearing for the accused shooter, Byron Rangel.
A Fresno County Superior Court judge will hear the transfer hearing for Rangel, who was 16 when he allegedly shot Quick in the back of the head at arm’s length on April 23, 2025, in a parking lot near Herndon and Willow avenues. It was set for Sept. 1.
Whether Rangel will remain in the Fresno County juvenile justice system or be transferred to an adult criminal court will be decided by a judge, who will compare the Fresno County District Attorney’s Office case against a high standard laid out in state law.
Police said Rangel used a .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum revolver outside a McDonald’s where Quick was known to meet up with other teens for a weekly gathering they called “Fry Night.” Prosecutors alleged Rangel was aided by his girlfriend, Michael, who acted as the getaway driver.
Police also accused the girl of helping to plan the killing and aide its cover-up.
Defense attorneys involved in the two separate cases brought against the accused teens say a Fresno County judge will make their finding for Rangel independently and unbiasedly without weighing what transpired in the decision and arguments made in the Michael case, which was decided by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Kimberly A. Gaab.
“Legally, it shouldn’t affect (Rangel’s case),” said Sally Vecchiarelli, one of Michael’s attorneys.
Michael’s other attorney, Jeff Hammerschmidt, said judges are expected to maintain an unbiased perspective on cases, and often avoid media coverage. Hammerschmidt himself is running for a judge job in Fresno.
“They purposely do not watch the media about cases they might be involved with,” Hammerschmidt said. “It makes sense.”
That said, a judge has not so far been assigned to the Rangel case, and it could be assigned to the same judge, Gaab, who heard the Michael case.
The Rangel transfer hearing is expected to be significantly different from the Michael transfer hearing, according to Kathy Bird, an attorney for Rangel. Michael’s case focused more on what Michael knew about the killing and its planning.
Bird said Rangel’s hearing should have a greater focus on the five factors that determine whether an accused juvenile should be tried as an adult or minor. She noted the facts presented in the Michael case should be largely the same given the DA’s Office will call many of the same investigators and present the same evidence.
“What does change is the role the person — Byron — took in the case. That changes obviously for the judge and the factors that the judge looks at individually on Byron,” Bird said.
In a transfer hearing, the judge does not determine guilt through witnesses and evidence. The judge starts the hearing assuming the juvenile is guilty, and determines whether the teen is amenable to being rehabilitated. That determines if the teen can stay in the juvenile system or be treated as an adult offender.
Tried as an adult, Rangel could potentially be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, prosecutors have said. As a juvenile, he faces up to seven years of confinement or up until he turns 25.
The burden of proof to transfer a young offender to an adult court falls on prosecutors. The judge will weigh the degree of sophistication of the crime, seriousness of the crime, likeliness of rehabilitation for the juvenile, previous history of delinquency and success of earlier attempts at rehabilitation.
But perhaps the greatest bar to clear in order to get their request granted is the DA’s Office must show that Rangel cannot be rehabilitated. It was a major factor in the decision to leave Michael in juvenile custody, according to the judge.
Bird said she believed Rangel has shown he is open to rehabilitation.
“Byron is doing very well in custody and really showing that he’s maturing, and he’s become extremely thoughtful about his future and how he reacts to people,” she said. “We’re seeing a ton of growth in Byron and his maturity, and he’s not as reactive as a 15- (or) 16-year-old would be.”
Stephen Quick, the father of Caleb, said he has reasonable expectations about the looming transfer hearing. He wants to see Rangel face an adult criminal court.
“I‘m not hopeful,” Quick said. “I don’t know this kid’s backstory, and it seems like it doesn’t matter what these kids do. The court says they’re rehabilitatable, and it’s up to the district attorneys to prove they’re not, and it’s really difficult to prove a negative.”
The murder trial for Michael was set for July 28.
