Fresno hearing to decide if teen in Caleb Quick case faces adult court

A Fresno judge weighed whether the teenage girl accused in the killing of 18-year-old Caleb Quick should be moved out of juvenile court, where the stakes could shift sharply if prosecutors win the transfer. The hearing was set to run five days in downtown Fresno before one of the judges assigned to juvenile matters.

Under California’s Prop. 57 framework and Welfare and Institutions Code section 707, prosecutors must ask a juvenile court to transfer certain minors to adult court and prove by clear and convincing evidence that adult-court jurisdiction is appropriate. If the girl’s case stayed in juvenile court, state law could allow confinement for up to seven years or until age 25. If she were tried as an adult, prosecutors have said she could face 26 years to life. The male teen charged in the same case could face life without parole if transferred.

The hearing came after a lengthy pretrial process that had already been slowed when defense counsel said the probation department had not issued a recommendation and subpoenaed records and witnesses were still being gathered. That earlier delay raised the possibility that the transfer question could stretch into next year, even as the case moved closer to the first anniversary of Quick’s death.

Caleb Quick was shot outside the McDonald’s at Willow and Nees avenues in Clovis at about 8:57 p.m. on April 23, 2025. Clovis police described the killing as targeted and planned. Investigators said the suspects arrived in a white Tesla Model 3, and police identified both as 16-year-old students in Clovis Unified School District who knew Quick. Prosecutors have said the male teen was the alleged shooter and the girl was the alleged getaway driver.

The case has drawn strong reaction from Quick’s father, Stephen Quick, who has said he wants the suspects tried as adults. He has described the months-long delay as confusing and painful, and said the family is still fighting for justice. With the hearing coming just days before the first anniversary of Caleb Quick’s death, the case remained a flashpoint in Fresno County’s youth-crime debate, where the outcome could decide whether the girl faces the juvenile system or adult prison time.