How to resolve AdBlock issue? LAKEPORT, Calif. – A criminal grand jury has indicted a Clearlake man on numerous charges for a December shooting that wounded several of his estranged wife’s family members, killing one of them.
Ezequiel Bravo, 24, is charged with the Dec. 1 shooting at the Elem Indian Colony in Clearlake Oaks that killed his wife’s aunt, Theresa Brown. At the same time, he shot and wounded Theresa Brown’s 6-year-old daughter, as well as his in-laws, Robert and Stephanie Brown.
Bravo had been set for preliminary hearing in April, which was put off until June, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.
Rather than go to preliminary hearing, Anderson – assisted by Deputy District Attorney Chanel Crawford – chose instead to convene a criminal grand jury from June 28 to 30 to consider the case.
He said he chose to go that route because he said the many witnesses in the case are extremely sensitive and emotional at this point. By convening a grand jury, “Our office is able to examine them along with the grand jury and there is no vigorous cross-examination,” he said.
Bravo’s defense attorney, Angela Carter, said that in grand jury proceedings the defendant doesn’t have a right to be present for the proceedings that lead to the indictment. There is no judge or defense attorney, just the district attorney, selected and empaneled solely by the district attorney.
Anderson said the grand jury returned an indictment of Bravo on all charges connected to the Dec. 1 shootings: murder, four counts of attempted murder, assault with a firearm, three counts of assault with a deadly weapon, abuse of a child, robbery, burglary, shooting at an occupied dwelling and numerous speciali allegations for use of a firearm and being armed in the commission of a felony.
Bravo also was indicted for the attempted kidnapping of his wife at a movie theater on Nov. 28, Anderson said.
Carter said neither she nor Bravo knew the indictment proceedings were taking place. “The prosecutor informed me of it after the fact.”
The grand jury’s indictment means that Bravo will not go through the preliminary hearing process.
Instead, he is due to appear in court on Tuesday for arraignment and plea entry, Anderson said. At that time Anderson also expects trial dates will be set.
Carter said Bravo intends to enter a not guilty plea at the Tuesday court appearance.
Meanwhile, she said she is awaiting the transcripts of the grand jury proceedings, which she said should be prepared and provided to her shortly.
She said that when there is a grand jury indictment, the prosecution has a duty to try and present exculpatory evidence, or evidence that demonstrates the defendant might be innocent or have mitigating circumstances.
Carter suggested that the “odds are pretty slim that was done in a thorough manner without me being there.”
She added, “If there’s any exploratory evidence that was not presented by the prosecutor on behalf of Mr. Bravo, then I am entitled to bring a motion to set aside the indictment, meaning the probable cause hearing would have to take place again, either by another indictment or preliminary hearing.”
If convicted of the charges, Bravo would receive a life prison sentence, Anderson said.
Bravo, who has been in custody since the day of the shooting, is being held at the Lake County Jail on $7 million bail, according to jail records.
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