A judge has reluctantly granted the right for a man to act as his own attorney in the Oct. 21 shooting death of a Chula Vista man.
The victim is Juan Martin Gomez Alvarado, whose body was discovered near an elementary school in San Ysidro but was believed shot to death elsewhere in the South Bay.
Alvarado was believed to be acquainted with Cameron Leddy, 32, but how they knew each other has not been disclosed. The shooting site is not known, said the prosecutor.
Leddy asked Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Timothy Walsh to represent himself, and the judge reluctantly agreed to it on Jan. 7 after telling Leddy about the risks of self-representation.
The public defender was relieved and a March 23 preliminary hearing was set.
Leddy has pleaded not guilty to all charges which also include carjacking, assault with a deadly weapon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and felony evasion of police with reckless driving involving other incidents.
Walsh asked Leddy to tell him his education background. Leddy said he finished the 11th grade and he worked as a sandblaster for NAASCO.
Walsh told him a judge cannot give him legal advice, other then it is “a very bad idea to represent yourself.” Walsh said it would be difficult for Leddy to contact others on his behalf since he is in jail on $3 million bail.
Walsh told Leddy if he is convicted, he could face a prison term of 50 years to life in prison for the homicide plus 34 years and four months on the other charges. Leddy is charged with personally using a firearm which could add 25 years to the sentence.
The judge informed Leddy that he cannot appeal any conviction on the basis of ineffective assistance of counsel. Walsh said a trial judge would not help him with his case, and Leddy said he was aware of that.
Because of the coronavirus outbreak, the attorneys and Leddy appeared on video screens from separate locations in the courtroom.
