CHULA VISTA, Calif. — Two men were sentenced for killing a high school senior in Sunset Park in Chula Vista on March 2021.
Deonte Martinez, 24, and Larry Bradford, 19 pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a firearm enhancement charge earlier this summer for the shooting death of 17-year-old Caleb Beasley.
Prosecutors said Caleb was shot ten times. According to prosecutors, Caleb went to the park with a group of people but a fight broke out. They said Martinez and Bradford admitted they had guns on them when the shooting happened and Caleb was killed.
The judge spoke to Martinez and Bradford before he sentenced them.
He said, “You were both on a path that was destructive involving thefts, and drug sales and weapons possession and that's what resulted in this death. It's not something that just happened. You were making choices that lead to that tragic incident.
He told them they have a very short amount of time before they can get another chance at life. He said, “You’re now going to have an opportunity after you serve your sentence to turn your life around. An opportunity that the victim will never have.”
The men each received three years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and three years for the firearm enhancement charge. Both men get credit for time already served since their arrest and are both required to pay several thousand dollars in fines.
Deputy District Attorney said that in a case like this, it’s hard to say what is justice because Caleb’s family will never get him back. She said, “I understand that it might seem like a very short sentence to people. We have to prove our case beyond a reasonable doubt. These decisions aren’t made light heartedly. They really take a lot of careful consideration and what we can prove in a courtroom. It was a difficult case to prove with the evidence we have.”
She said the voluntary manslaughter and the firearm enhancement adequately fit the evidence and the facts in the case. But she knows justice doesn’t always give families what they’re looking for. She says, “This is a tragic case where a young man lost his life and they won’t be able to see him growing up and becoming a man and getting married.”
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