On April 11th around 8:30 AM the body of a teenage girl was found on the side of a round near the Sky Lake neighborhood in Orange County, California. The victim was identified as 15-year-old Melanie Medina. She had been shot and abandoned on the road the night before.
“We want to focus on finding out who did this because this is basically a child, and we don’t want a killer, or killers, on the streets,” said Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings. Medina was an 8th grade student at Corner Lake Middle School until her parents withdrew her enrollment the week before without any explanation. Her parents admitted that it was not unusual for Medina to stay out so late. She lived at home with her parents and other relatives.
A series of tips led officers to Ramsys Cruz-Abreu, 22, who was driving a black Acura with a bullet hole in the windshield and a handgun on the front seat at the time of his arrest. Cruz-Abreu gave officers additional information which led them to an unidentified 16-year-old girl who was also responsible for Medina’s death.
Late Thursday night the State Attorney’s Office dropped all murder charges and ruled Medina’s death an accident.
Cruz-Abreu told authorities that he had been driving the two teenage girls to get donuts at Krispy Kreme near the Mall at Millenia when he heard a loud bang. He heard Medina scream and turned to see her holding her neck. Cruz-Abreu attempted to apply pressure to the wound, but she bled out before help could be reached.
The 16-year-old girl admitted to authorities that she had shot Medina. Cruz-Abreu and the unidentified girl debated what to do with Medina’s body. Both Cruz-Abreu and the girl admitted that they decided to dump her body because the girl didn’t want anyone to know she had a firearm. They drove for approximately 15 minutes and chose Ziegler Road, a dark street with few cars, as the location to dump Medina’s body. The unidentified teen said she does not know why the weapon discharged.
The Sheriff’s Office announced that the teen will not be charged in connection with the shooting. Cruz-Abreu faces charges of tampering with physical evidence and could face more charges in the future. Detectives do not believe there are any other suspects involved with the shooting. Cruz-Abreu is being held at the Orange County Jail on a $1,000 bond. The teen girl also remains in police custody.
Medina’s family was upset and refuses to accept the reduced charges. Medina’s uncle, Ricardo Gonzalez, told reporters that he and his family will continue to push for full murder charges.