Updated
Updated · KFSN-TV · Aug 7
DOJ Expert Links 1 Shell Casing to Silver Revolver in Cassandra Michael Murder Trial
Updated
Updated · KFSN-TV · Aug 7

DOJ Expert Links 1 Shell Casing to Silver Revolver in Cassandra Michael Murder Trial

2 articles · Updated · KFSN-TV · Aug 7

Summary

  • Greg Masters, a California DOJ criminalist, testified the spent shell casing recovered from the Rangel home was fired from the silver revolver seized there, which prosecutors have long treated as the murder weapon.
  • That forensic link followed testimony a day earlier that DNA results from the same revolver showed strong support for both Cassandra Michael and the suspected teen shooter having handled it; the bullet from the killing was never recovered.
  • Hurley Rangel, the suspect's brother, said Michael arrived at the house in her white Tesla after the April 23, 2025 shooting, told him Caleb had died, and appeared too hysterical to drive when he later took her home.
  • Under prosecutorial questioning, Hurley Rangel repeatedly said he could not recall details and was confronted with prior statements that his brother had found at least one gun and was 'obviously' involved.
  • Abel Rangel, the suspect's father, testified the two revolvers were family gifts hidden in a locked bedroom, said he kept no ammunition at home, and could not explain how a spent casing ended up in his son's bedroom.

Insights

If the revolvers were hidden away, how did a spent casing end up in the suspect’s bedroom after the McDonald’s shooting?
Why did a subpoenaed brother resist testifying as prosecutors pressed him about guns, prior statements, and the night Caleb Quick died?
How damaging is the shell-casing match to the silver revolver if the bullet from Caleb Quick’s shooting was never recovered?