A Las Vegas judge ordered 16-year-old Kassandra Orozco held without bail Monday after prosecutors pointed to evidence they say connects her to the fatal shooting of Carlos Valenzuela near Hollywood Regional Park. Orozco is being prosecuted as an adult and faces murder-related charges, though the case remains in its early stages and she has not been convicted.
Justice of the Peace Eric Goodman relied on text messages and video evidence in making the no-bail finding, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Orozco was arrested July 23, several days after the July 18 shooting, and 19-year-old Jayden Torres was also arrested in the case.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police said officers found Valenzuela with an apparent gunshot wound near South Hollywood Boulevard and East Park Access Road around 5:18 a.m. on July 18; he was pronounced dead at the scene. The department said the suspects fled before officers arrived, while Hoodline’s earlier report described the area as an active homicide scene as detectives searched for clues.
Police Say Gang Rivalry Shaped The Encounter
According to an arrest report summarized by KTNV, Orozco is Torres’ cousin and had previously been in a relationship with Valenzuela. Police allege Valenzuela was affiliated with 18th Street while Torres was associated with Florencia 13, two gangs investigators described as rivals in the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The report says Orozco contacted Valenzuela about reconnecting, and the group later traveled to a remote, undeveloped lot. Investigators allege Torres and another armed person were waiting there, and that a confrontation followed before Valenzuela was shot as he ran; those details remain allegations from the arrest report.
The Review-Journal reported that prosecutors also described video and witness accounts suggesting Orozco knew the shooting was coming and helped arrange it. Prosecutors said the evidence included messages and footage that portrayed the suspects as searching for the victims before the gunfire.
Adult Case Will Continue In Clark County Court
KTNV confirmed with the Clark County District Attorney’s Office that Orozco is being tried as an adult. She faces open murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit murder, while Torres faces related charges and has also been held without bail.
The no-bail order is a pretrial detention decision, not a finding of guilt. Prosecutors still must prove the charges in court as the case moves forward.
