A jury found Sonny Veleta guilty of second-degree murder in the 2021 killing of 19-year-old Cesar Joseph Malta. Prosecutors say Veleta faces up to 54 years to life in prison. The jury also convicted him of shooting at an occupied motor vehicle, firing a gun causing death, and assault with a gun on the passenger, according to KGET’s verdict report.
Veleta was 16 at the time of the shooting. His case moved from juvenile to adult court in 2024 after a finding that he was legally fit to be tried as an adult, according to KGET’s coverage of the court proceedings. KGET reported that he had been held without bail before trial.
Youth transfers in statewide context
The available figures do not show how often young people in Kern County are transferred to adult court. Statewide, the California Office of Youth and Community Restoration reports that transfers rose from 66 in 2016 to 158 in 2017, then fell to 77 in 2018; those counts are not specific to Kern County, according to OYCR.
The article cites the California Penal Code for a second-degree murder sentence of 15 years to life, subject to specified exceptions. Prosecutors’ higher estimate reflects the additional convictions as well as the murder conviction.
Evidence described at trial
Prosecutors said Malta and a passenger went to the Lake and Kern streets area of East Bakersfield on Aug. 12, 2021, to sell about $200 worth of marijuana to someone known as Sonny. As described in KGET’s verdict report, the passenger testified that a hooded man fired at the car as Malta drove away. Malta was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
KGET reported that police linked Veleta to a Snapchat account Malta had contacted shortly before the shooting, and that the passenger identified Veleta in a photo lineup.
