Sheriff's office seeks adult charges for teens accused in San Leandro killing
Leandro Iquite, 18 died after being carjacked and shot in the head in San Leandro.
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - Alameda County sheriff's deputies are urging prosecutors to charge three teenagers allegedly involved in luring an 18-year-old to San Leandro and then killing him as adults.
Leandro Iquite, of Redwood City, was found on the night of Oct. 8 with a gunshot wound to the head at an apartment complex on Miramar Avenue in Unincorporated San Leandro, according to the Alameda County Sheriff's Office.
Paramedics took Iquite to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
Over the past two months, investigators examined evidence and pursued leads, identifying three suspects. The first suspect was 17 years old at the time of the crime but turned 18 years old the same month. KTVU is refraining from naming the suspect due to his status as a minor at the time of the incident and the absence of formal charges.
Sheriff's deputies also discovered that the suspect's 17-year-old girlfriend and 16-year-old brother were allegedly involved.
Evidence indicated that the couple had started discussing harming Iquite as early as June, authorities said. The suspects allegedly lured the victim from Redwood City, where they all lived, to San Leandro, where the fatal incident happened.
Investigators have not disclosed the nature of the relationship between the victim and the suspects.
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Last Wednesday, officers arrested the 17-year-old girl and her 16-year-old brother at their Redwood City home, where investigators also discovered evidence linked to the homicide. The third suspect was already in custody for an unrelated case.
A search warrant was executed at a Fremont residence visited by the suspects before and after Iquite's killing. Investigators uncovered evidence of a significant identity theft and fraud operation at that location.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office submitted the case to the district attorney's office, seeking charges of conspiracy, carjacking, and homicide.The sheriff's office also filed a motion with the juvenile court to consider charging the three suspects as adults.