By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-06 19:16:12 | Updated at 2026-08-06 22:27:04
3 hours ago
Text messages between two teens accused of murdering a California high school student were read aloud in court Wednesday as prosecutors detailed what they say was a revenge plot.
The messages were introduced on the third day of the juvenile murder trial of Cassandra Michael, who, along with then-boyfriend Byron Rangel, is accused of killing Caleb Quick outside a McDonald’s near Nees and Willow avenues in Clovis on April 23, 2025.
Prosecutors allege the pair, both 16 at the time, targeted Quick over claims he sexually assaulted another teen.
Prosecutors presented the messages as they called their 17th witness in the case after hearing testimony from six peers of Michael and Rangel and multiple law enforcement officials, according to the Fresno Bee.
Lead Clovis detective Lovedeep Malhi testified that investigators recovered a text conversation between Michael and Rangel after seizing their phones with a search warrant.
Jurors heard messages exchanged the day before and the day after the shooting.
According to testimony, Rangel asked Michael who told her about the alleged assault. Michael named the teen girl, identified only as “Jane Doe,” and said she had been “blackout drunk” when Quick said he would take her home but instead had sex with her.
Rangel later replied, “Yeah, this s–– terrible.”
After the fatal shooting, jurors heard Michael text Rangel, “Idk how to feel,” then later add, “I’m just in shock honestly.”
Michael’s attorneys said during opening statements that investigators never found any messages showing she wanted to harm Quick over the alleged assault.
Prosecutors allege Michael helped plan the killing and acted as the getaway driver while Rangel, dressed in black with a hoodie and disposable black surgical mask, stalked Quick before shooting him in the back of the head outside the McDonald’s.
Surveillance footage shown in court captured the shooting, though the gunman was not easily identifiable because his face was covered.
Jurors also heard from California Department of Justice criminalist Christopher Johnson—who testified that DNA testing found both Michael’s and Rangel’s DNA on a silver Smith & Wesson revolver recovered from Rangel’s home.
Michael’s attorneys have argued her DNA could have been transferred after the gun came into contact with the seat where she had been sitting in a vehicle.
Police also testified they recovered a spent shell casing from Rangel’s closet while executing a search warrant at his family’s Clovis home.
Although investigators never recovered the projectile that struck Quick, testimony showed the markings on the shell casing matched those fired by the silver .357 Smith & Wesson Magnum revolver found at the home.
Michael, who is now 18, will continue to be tried in juvenile court after a Fresno County judge denied prosecutors’ request in May to transfer her case to adult court.
In June, a letter from President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump brought renewed attention to the case, expressing condolences to the Quick family over the teen’s death and voicing support for efforts to combat violent crime.
“Melania and I are devastated by the senseless loss of your beloved son, Caleb, and we are heartbroken for your entire family,” the letter states.
“Please know that my Administration will never stop fighting to clean up our streets and ensure law and order in our Nation.”
