Posted on 09/19/2025 3:02:24 PM PDT by nickcarraway
The teenager suspected of shooting San Francisco 49ers’ wide receiver Ricky Pearsall during an attempted robbery in Union Square last year will be tried as a juvenile, a judge ruled Friday morning.
The decision was handed down by Judge Denise de Bellefeuille of Santa Barbara at the end of a weeklong hearing in San Francisco.
The stakes of the transfer hearing were high. Barring a plea deal, the suspect will stand trial for attempted murder, assault and attempted second-degree robbery. For a juvenile found guilty, the charges would probably result in up to seven more years in custody. If tried as an adult and found guilty, he could have faced 40 years to life in prison.
“I expect you to work very hard to become a man of peace,” the judge told the teen upon rendering her decision.
Public Defender Bob Dunlap said of the accused, "I know he is very grateful, and emotional, and of course very relieved. Until about 20 minutes ago, he was looking at life in prison. I think he was afraid, and I’m glad he was afraid, he should have been afraid, and as I said in my comments, I hope he holds onto that."
The ruling came at the end of an emotional morning morning in juvenile court. Ricky Pearsall’s mother, Erin Pearsall, at first struggling to remain composed, read a long statement pleading for the accused to be tried as an adult. Erin Pearsall, who had been in court each day of the hearing, also showed the judge some family photographs.
Erin Pearsall said of the alleged attempted robbery, “It was a day that will haunt me forever.” She noted that her son has a tattoo of an angel on his chest, and “the bullet was fired directly through the angel’s praying hands.”
When Dunlap presented his argument for the teen to be tried as a juvenile, he cited Ricky Pearsall’s past statements that he has compassion for his alleged assailant and would be open to meeting with him. The judge referred to those words when handing down her decision, saying to the accused, “Mr. Pearsall is an incredible human being. You recognize that?”
She added, "He has expressed compassion for you, he has modeled his faith."
The judge also commended the accused for a letter he wrote to Pearsall not long after the attack. Dunlap presented the letter, in which the teen wrote to Pearsall, “I apologize to you and your family. I have been praying for you and your loved ones.”
There was no indication of whether Pearsall received the letter, sent through the district attorney’s office.
During the week, Dunlap presented his client as a victim of trauma from childhood abuse, neglect and violence, both at home and while in the foster care system. The accused’s parents sat behind him Friday in the small courtroom, as they have done each day.
Dunlap cited the testimony of 14 witnesses who have worked with the defendant and asserted that he is “amenable to rehabilitation.” The suspect, the witnesses said, participated in several programs, formed a book club, maintained the highest level in a points-based merit system, graduated from high school and is enrolled in San Francisco City College.
Assistant District Attorney David Mitchell presented during the week the violent details of the incident, using multiple surveillance videos and a recorded police interview with Pearsall, where the 49er said he thought, upon realizing he had been shot in the chest and was bleeding heavily, “This is it for me.”
On Friday, Mitchell stressed that the defendant’s good behavior while in custody was “goal-oriented” conduct that didn’t focus on actual rehabilitation. Mitchell cited the teen’s previous run-ins with the law and said the attack on Pearsall “showed a natural progression of delinquent behavior, and (was) not a one-time incident.” He stressed that the alleged crime “wasn’t impulsive,” but premeditated.
“You don’t rack a round in the chamber unless you’re willing to shoot,” Mitchell told the court.
Mitchell argued that the defendant would have insufficient time to rehabilitate under juvenile care, and that the alleged crime was hardly a spontaneous impulse.
The alleged attack took place on Geary Street near Grant Avenue. Pearsall, who had been drafted four months earlier in the first round, was about to put bags of newly purchased merchandise into his car when the youth approached him, allegedly pointed a semiautomatic pistol at Pearsall and told him, according to the athlete, “Give me everything.”
Pearsall said that when the youth tried to snatch his expensive gold neck chain and wristwatch, Pearsall resisted, the two scuffled to the ground, and the suspect fired three shots before his gun jammed, leaving 10 bullets remaining in the magazine. One shot went through Pearsall’s chest, one hit the suspect’s left arm, and one struck a nearby car.
Delivering her ruling, the judge told the teen defendant, “I was impressed by your letter (to Pearsall). You’ve done great harm.” She said his actions resulted in “trauma inflicted on the entire community. All of San Francisco was traumatized.”
She also told the young man, “You belong to all of us, you are a part of our community.”
Personally, I’d like to see the definition of “minor” changed to be “under the age of 13”. If you don’t know the difference between right and wrong by that age, you are what they call, “that boy’s not right in the head”.
What a fruit cake judge. If only we could hold hands and sing Kumbaya.
Here in Minneapolistan the gangs use young kids to do the dirty work knowing they will never be prosecuted. I’m sure it’s the same everywhere.
Also, in this crime ridden schiffhole the county attorney says she won’t prosecute anyone that was busted for a felony due to a minor traffic stop.
http://www.fox9.com/news/hennepin-county-law-enforcement-traffic-stop-policy
He dint mean to shoot him ‘shoot him’. Right woopee?
The guy is in college and he was tried as a juvenile? What????
He's in college and he's too immature to be totally responsible for his (evil) actions?
Why do so many judges making bad decisions have hard to pronounce foreign names ?
Are they here on J1B visas ?
Are there just no Americans who want to work as judges ?
are they all graduates of the Soros school of justice ?
My 37 yo daughter moved there in 2021. She lives in Maple Grove now but was living by Loring Park & the Basilica, which was a little scary for me. She’s a total lefty so we don’t talk politics or religion anymore, but she seems happy. I pray she never has a reason not to be.
“””but was living by Loring Park & the Basilica”””
Not such a great place anymore. My wife is as conservative as can be but her sister who lives nearby is a lefty.
The old “nature/nurture” debate or something.
In D.C., young criminals under age 24 (!!) can be tried as juveniles.
Irregardless of age anyone committing a felony with a firearm, he is prepared to kill, should be treated as an adult.
That there are no photos or name of the suspect tells me the system of justice in California for minors is skewed. The justification is towards a possibility of rehabilitation. I question if there is any rehabilitation in California prisons.
I think if one is 17-years-old, the rules should apply to more as crimes of an adult when it nears the 18th year. This suspect x has been charged with attempted murder with enhancing allegations of intentional discharge of a firearm and personal use of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and attempted second degree robbery. The level of criminal actions should have pushed him over to adult status.
The weapon was discharged several times during the struggle with Pearsall who fought to recover his goods. Stray bullets went everywhere until the gun jammed. This “kid” was determined to kill Pearsall in order to keep his booty. That hardened behavior should have been considered.
As I said, I’m not sure the law actually allowed another decision.
24?
I don’t think they can show a picture of a minor criminal suspect. He was a minor when this happened.
I must have missed it ... how old was this “juvenile”? Apparently old enough to procure a gun and then shoot some one. He will probably become a good instructor for those juveniles he will share room and board with.
He was 17 at the time of the crime.
I don’t think he was in college at the time of the crime, because that college is in San Francisco, he lived in Stockton. Tgat would be a horrendous commute. The lawyer probably told him to do that, because it looked good.
Judge Denise de Bellefeuille. Another foreign meatball?
That came up earlier this week when Mayor Bowser was being questioned by a House subcommittee.
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