An El Cajon mother appeared in a courtroom on Wednesday morning to face charges of helping her son avoid arrest for murder.
On Nov. 13, 2023, prosecutors say, Hunter White shot Javier Medina on East Bradley Avenue in El Cajon. Medina died two days later in the hospital.
San Diego County prosecutors say Hunter’s mother, Carla White, drove to the scene of the shooting, helping him get away. They say she instructed him to hide in the back seat, under a sunshade. For that, prosecutors say, she faces a charge of accessory after the fact, which is a felony.
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In the days that followed, according to prosecutors, Carla provided her son with information that police were looking for him, specifically, a confidential be-on-the-lookout flyer. It was information they say she had access to as a San Diego County employee that she wasn’t allowed to share with him. Hunter was arrested on Nov. 16.
Drew Garrison is prosecuting the case on behalf of the people. He’s a San Diego County deputy district attorney with the gang prosecution division.
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“Any time that a person who is a suspect to a serious crime has a tipoff in advance that they are a suspect, it could give any person a chance to take steps to conceal aspects of the crime or to flee from the area,” Garrison said.
NBC 7 Investigates obtained a salary database of San Diego County employees through a public records request, which shows that Carla is senior office assistant with the probation department. A county spokesperson confirmed she was still employed with San Diego County but couldn’t say if Carla was on any probationary status due to the charges.
“I think the public generally expects that their public servants will uphold their duties and oaths, and it’s important as an office that the district attorney’s office seeks to hold people accountable for the actions that they’ve taken,” Garrison told NBC 7.
NBC 7 Investigates spoke with Paul Cappitelli, an expert in law enforcement practices with more than 40 years of experience, including a five-year stint as executive director of POST, the commission of Police Officer Standards and Training. He also served for 30 years with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, from which he retired as a captain. He underscored how important it is for confidential law enforcement information to stay that way.
“The disclosure of that information could jeopardize the integrity of investigations,” Cappitelli said. “There’s really no excuse. It’s really indefensible to do that.”
In addition, Cappitelli said, suspects could use that information to arm themselves, putting themselves, the public or law enforcement officers in danger. He said it’s difficult for people if they face a situation that’s similar to this case, but says that’s part of the public service they signed up for.
“A lot of times, people get caught up with the emotion, and they feel like they can set aside their ethics, set aside their obligation to take care of a family member, and that’s absolutely the worst thing somebody can do,” Cappitelli said. “If somebody breaks the law, it takes courage as a family member to say, ‘I have to do what I have to do to not protect that person.’ ”
If Carla is convicted, prosecutors say, she faces a maximum sentence of six months for providing the confidential information and another three years for the accessory-after-the-fact charge. She and her son have both pleaded not guilty. Following the hearing, she told NBC 7 Investigates she had no comment about the charges she faces.
“This person should not be working for the probation department,” Cappitelli said. “They should not be working in this position where they are entrusted with this type of confidential information, and they should probably take whatever comes to them through the justice system for aiding and abetting someone who committed a crime.”
A third suspect, Kristian Wolf, also faces charges in connection with the murder. He’s also pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors have yet to reveal any motive for the deadly shooting or relationships between the suspects and their alleged victim, although Garrison emphasized several times that Hunter White is the primary suspect of the two men accused of murder. Wolf, Hunter White and his mother are scheduled to appear back in court for a status hearing in late February.
