17-year-old suspect in Morgan Hill shooting charged with murder, attempted murder

SAN JOSE — The 17-year-old suspect arrested last week in connection with a Morgan Hill shooting that killed an 18-year-old boy and injured six other people in July is suspected of being the shooter and was charged Monday with one count of murder and six counts of attempted murder with a gun, authorities said.

The suspect, who authorities did not name due to his age, was arraigned in juvenile court Monday morning, where a judge ordered that he be held in custody, said James Gibbons-Shapiro, acting chief assistant district attorney with the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office, at a news conference Monday afternoon.

The DA’s Office will seek to try the suspect as an adult.

“What happened that night was both tragic and sensless,” Santa Clara County Sheriff Robert Jonsen said at the news conference.

The shooting occurred July 25 at a pop-up birthday party at 644 Hale Avenue that had been advertised on social media, authorities said. It resulted in the death of 18-year-old high school senior Desiderio Romero V, known as “Desi” to family and friends. The location is in a rural, unincorporated part of Morgan Hill, and the property owner was not aware of the party, officials have said.

The suspect was arrested last Thursday at a residence in Salinas.

Stephanie Trombly, the mother of Romero, expressed her support for the DA’s motion to try the suspect as an adult.

“Nothing can bring my son Desi back, but I feel a small sense of relief knowing that the person responsible for murdering him and seriously injuring six others is in custody and will be held accountable,” she said. “He took my only son, my daughters’ only brother, and Desi is missed terribly by all of our family.”

Gibbons-Shapiro said that the decision to seek to charge the suspect as an adult was based on the severity of the alleged crimes, adding that juvenile court proceedings often result in a person “being held at most for a few months or for a number of years.” The prosecution filed the motion to move the case to adult court on Monday, but it could take several months for a judge to rule on it.

“In the last five years, the DA’s Office has sought to prosecute as an adult fewer than two dozen people who are under the age of 18. It’s a rare decision. It’s the decision we’ve made in this case,” he said. “He took a gun to a party and unleashed a hail of bullets into a crowd of teenagers, injuring six whose lives are altered forever by that incident, terrifying, terrorizing all who were there at that party, and sadly taking the life of Desi Romero, a young man, whose family has lost someone near and dear to them.

“In a case like this where the consequences to the community were so serious, the consequences to the individual also have to be serious,” he added. “They have to reflect the time that it take, actually, to rehabilitate someone who did a crime like this.”

Captain Sugey Jaimez, captain of the Sheriff’s Office Investigations Bureau, said that the investigation, which was conducted in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, found that the pop-up birthday party, which had been advertised on social media, attracted a crowd of about 100 people. During the party, multiple fights broke out before shots were fired.

Investigators believe that the suspect was “the shooter and the one responsible for the homicide,” she added.

While serving a search warrant during the arrest, authorities also found “several” weapons, ammunition and clothing, Jaimez said. She added that the investigation remains ongoing.

The $20,000 reward offered for information that leads to an arrest in the case will be paid out but no information about the identity of the tipster will be shared to protect their confidentiality, said Scott Schelbie, special agent in charge of the FBI San Francisco. He added that photos, videos and other information submitted to the FBI’s digital tip line were “crucial” to the identification of the suspect.

“This arrest marks an important step towards justice for the victims and their families, but it also reflects what is possible when the community and law enforcement agencies partner together in the pursuit of those responsible for violent crime,” Schelbie said. “This was a tragic act of violence that took the life of Desi and injured six others, and our thoughts remain with the victims, their families and everyone who was impacted on that day.”

Santa Clara County Supervisor Sylvia Arenas added that the county will “continue to look at” unpermitted events such as the party where the shooting occurred.

“Desi was a good kid who was trying to figure out his life,” Trombly, the victim’s mother, added. “He had so much life ahead of him, and he will never get a chance to experience all the milestones that so many of us take for granted. I will never get to see my son get married or have children or grow old. That was taken from him and from all of my family.”

She also thanked all the agencies that played a part in the suspect’s arrest.

“Desi deserved a chance to live his life. He deserved to grow up and find his way and experience all that life had for him,” Trombly said. “We will never stop missing him, and we will never stop loving him.”