Convicted killer linked to another murder after being tried as minor in LA County by DA Gascón

"It was devastating, honestly," says Cynthia Carrera. 

LOS ANGELES – Nearly five years ago, Cynthia's brother, Alfredo Carrera, and his friend, José Flores Velázquez, were murdered in South Los Angeles simply for standing in a rival gang's territory.

Neither man was gang-affiliated. Alfredo was about to become a father, and Jose, a student at UCI, had just accepted a job with NASA. 

"This was cold-blooded murder. And it wasn't just one person; two innocent people lost their lives for no reason," says Carrera.

Seventeen-year-old Shanice Dyer, a member of the East Coast Crips, was charged with premeditated murder by then-District Attorney Jackie Lacey and was set to be tried as an adult. However, that changed when George Gascón took office in 2020.

"The public needs to know what's going on," says Michele Hanisee, the Association of Deputy District Attorneys President in LA County. She explains, "One of the many blanket policies Gascón implemented on his first day in office was that no crime committed by a juvenile—no matter the circumstances—would ever be transferred to adult court."

As a result, Shanice Dyer was tried as a juvenile. Despite being convicted of two murders, she was in custody for less than four years. "It's still very hard. And now we find out that this person has committed another crime, doing this to yet another family," says Carrera.

The same woman who killed Alfredo and Jose is now accused of murder once again, allegedly aiding and abetting in the murder of 21-year-old Joshua Streeter. Retired LA County Deputy DA Kathy Cady, now a victim's advocate, says, "George Gascón refuses to take responsibility for the fact that his policies have led to this murder. He hides behind explanations that don't make sense." Carrera adds, "Gascón's reform aimed to rehabilitate and give people a second chance, but since the incident, no one has ever reached out to the victims. No one has ever asked, 'What can we do for you?'"

George Gascón declined our request for an interview, but his office released the following statement:

"Our heart breaks for the victim and his family. This is an unimaginable tragedy. However, it is very unlikely that Ms. Dyer would have been transferred under any administration. Under the law, there are five factors that a juvenile court would have considered and weighed in determining if Ms. Dyer were amenable to remain in the juvenile system. Of those five factors, only one factor, the circumstances and gravity of the offense, weighed in favor of transfer to adult court. All the other factors weighed in favor of Ms. Dyer remaining in the juvenile system. Given this, it is highly unlikely that Ms. Dyer would have been transferred to the adult system even if the court had held a transfer hearing. Those factors include:

1. She was under the influence of adult men and acted at their direction, which indicates that she did not exhibit a high degree of criminal sophistication;
2. Her lack of any serious criminal history at the time;
3. The amount of time and opportunity that remained at that time to rehabilitate her in the juvenile system; and
4. The absence of any previous opportunities to rehabilitate her in the juvenile system."

In March 2022, LADA's Juvenile Alternative Charging Evaluation Committee (JACE) was formed. Since that time, 23 transfer requests have been approved for transfer motions to adult court by JACE.

• Of those approved, 5 JACE cases have gone to hearings before the juvenile court.
• 4 JACE transfer motions were denied by the court.
• 1 JACE transfer motion was granted by the court.
• 1 JACE transfer motion is still in progress as of today.