3 Teen Murder Suspects Pleaded Not Guilty In Deadly SW OKC Shooting

Three teenage suspects in a deadly southwest Oklahoma City shooting pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge. 

Oklahoma City police arrested Santiago Martinez, 17, Christopher Ortega, 18, and Gabriel De La Rosa, 16, in connection a deadly shooting that killed 18-year-old Victor Reyes in April. 

De La Rosa appeared in court Friday for a preliminary hearing and entered a plea of not guilty. Martinez and Ortega waived their preliminary hearing and also pleaded not guilty, according to Adam Panter of the Oklahoma County district attorney’s office. 

Investigators said De La Rosa drove the vehicle used in the shooting on SW 32nd Street, while Ortega and Martinez were passengers.

According to his defense attorney, the gun was fired from the back seat of the car where Martinez was sitting. 

Gloria De La Rosa, Gabriel’s mother, said her son did not initiate the shooting and did not pull the trigger. 

“Of course, he’s at fault because he was driving, whatever, but he admitted that. But there’s no way he could have shot through that window, you know, leaning back and stuff,” she said. 

All three suspects are in custody without bond.  

Gloria De La Rosa said her son was not the kind of person to incite violence.  

“He’s not that kind of person. You know, yeah he hung around with the wrong crowd but he’s not the kind of person that’s going to take somebody’s life,” she said. 

Each suspect will be back in court for a pretrial conference in December.