L.A. teen got a second chance from Gascón after killing. Now he is accused in a new homicide
LA TimesLos Angeles County Dist. But when Gascón took office two years later, as Lee’s case was making its way through the court system, he barred prosecutors from trying juveniles as adults. “We have to look at what data shows about the effectiveness of different types of sentences at reducing recidivism.” John Ruh, a 61-year-old former Marine, was killed during a 2018 robbery at an Antelope Valley gas station in which prosecutors deemed Denmonne Lee, then 16, a “major participant.” Gascón’s opposition to trying juveniles as adults has been among his most controversial policies. In a statement, the office said Lee’s case should have remained in juvenile court regardless of Gascón’s policy because he was not the shooter and had no prior record of violence. “There was not a reasonable probability that a juvenile court would have transferred him to adult court.” Since forming a committee allowing prosecutors to seek that some juveniles be tried as adults, the district attorney’s office said it has signed off on the filing of 20 transfer motions, with just one case ultimately receiving judicial approval.
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