U.S. Supreme Court Victory

Nearly fifteen years have passed since 16-year-old Missy Fernandes was killed in a drive-by shooting outside Ballard High School.  In the subsequent criminal case, there was strong evidence that defendant Brian Ronquillo was the shooter and that defendant Cesar Sarausad, a fellow gang member, drove the car in a manner that made the crime possible.  Missy was an innocent victim in one of our community's most tragic and senseless crimes.

Sarausad claimed at trial that he had no idea whatsoever that Ronquillo, who was sitting in the front seat of the car Sarausad was driving was armed and intended to shoot his gun.  The motive for the shooting was that Sarausad's gang had been chased away from the Ballard campus by a rival gang. Sarausad's gang regrouped and came back to the area where the shooting took place to "earn respect."  The trial court correctly found that there was more than sufficient evidence to show that Sarausad knew exactly what his front-seat passenger (Ronquillo) planned to do when he drove their car slowly by the group of students gathered near the school.

In January, the U.S. Supreme Court inched this case closer to final resolution by affirming the State courts' decisions that upheld Sarausad's conviction.  However, final resolution of this case will not take place until lower federal courts have resolved pending federal appellate issues that remain in this case.

Return to the News