Judge sets potential murder trial date for adoptive parents of Cal City toddlers
Jan. 30—A Kern County Superior Court judge said Monday the murder trial for the adoptive parents of the California City brothers could begin in March.
Trezell and Jacqueline have pleaded not guilty to two second-degree murder charges, a single involuntary manslaughter charge, two felonies of willful cruelty to children, felony conspiracy and a misdemeanor of falsely reporting an emergency in the deaths of Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3.
Judge Charles Brehmer noted prosecutor Eric Smith is involved in another unrelated trial and he won't be available until the end of February. Defense attorneys for Jacqueline West, Alekxia Torres-Stallings and Fatima Rodriguez, noted they are still awaiting some discovery and don't anticipate being ready until March 1. Trezell West's lawyers, Timothy Hennessy and Victor Nasser, indicated they would also be ready by March 1.
Brehmer set a status conference on Feb. 16 to see if attorneys still believe they will be ready by March 1. Brehmer anticipates attorneys will discuss motions on that date and then begin jury selection.
Orrin and Orson West were reported missing by their adoptive parents in December 2020. But Kern County District Attorney Cynthia Zimmer alleged in March 2022 that the adoptive parents killed the boys in September 2020, three months before the brothers were reported missing.
