Prosecutors recharged Maloney for a separate incident that occurred the night Reeves was killed, and Maloney pleaded guilty to assaulting Gus Banola with a firearm. In exchange for the plea, it is expected that all other charges against Maloney will be dropped during the sentencing hearing.According to a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Reeves’ family, Maloney had confessed to the crime - he said he shot Reeves in self-defense - and even showed VCSD investigators where he had thrown the gun from the Ventura Pier into the ocean. But a judge ruled that the Miranda law had been violated and Maloney’s confession could not be used. Also named in the wrongful-death lawsuit filed by the Reeves are Marie Bernadette Pulido-Leon and Gilbert Leon, the hosts of the party, and Gilbert’s parents, Ralph and Rosemary Leon of Fillmore, the owners of the Peres Lane property.The suit notes that known gang members were in attendance at the party, where more than 500 area teenagers and youths had gathered for a paid admission birthday party. The lawsuit, filed by Ventura attorney Allen Ball, alleges that the Peres Lane property had previously been the scene of parties where alcohol was served illegally to minors and disturbances had taken place, including those by gang members. Samuel Reeves Jr., a popular Santa Paula High School student who was an athlete and musician, had attended the party with his brothers.Carrillo and Maloney are also being sued by the Reeves for several other claims related to the murder, including infliction of extreme emotional distress suffered by the Reeves family. The Reeves are asking for unspecified damages and legal fees from those named in the suit.
Maloney enters guilty plea to assault
November 04, 2005
Santa Paula News
A Santa Paula gang member previously acquitted of murder in the 2003 slaying of 15-year-old Samuel Travis Reeves Jr. pleaded guilty on November 1 to lesser felony charges after reaching a plea agreement with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
By Peggy KellySanta Paula TimesA Santa Paula gang member previously acquitted of murder in the 2003 slaying of 15-year-old Samuel Travis Reeves Jr. pleaded guilty on November 1 to lesser felony charges after reaching a plea agreement with the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office. Nathan Maloney, who in June was found not guilty by a jury on first degree murder charges, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to assault with a semiautomatic weapon, committing a crime for the benefit of his gang, and possession of a firearm.Under the terms of the plea deal, Maloney is expected to be sentenced to a maximum of eight years in state prison. His next court appearance is January 4, 2006.Maloney, 24, and Michael Carrillo, 19, of Santa Paula, were both found not guilty of first-degree murder in the slaying of Reeves that occurred on October 12, 2003 at a party on a ranch outside city limits. Reeves was shot after a fight broke out at the party, held on Peres Lane east of the city.Carrillo was also found not guilty of all other felony charges stemming from the 2003 homicide, but jurors couldn’t reach a decision on any of Maloney’s lesser felony charges, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, voluntary manslaughter, making criminal threats and assault with a firearm.
