Placer DA doesn’t file charges in deadly Rocklin road rage, father and son released from jail
A father and his adult son arrested on homicide charges Saturday were released from jail Tuesday after Placer County prosecutors decided not to file criminal charges against them in connection with an alleged road rage incident in Rocklin.
Anthony David Rakela Jr., 60, and his son Blake Anthony Rakela, 20, were arrested on suspicion of homicide and criminal conspiracy in connection with the death of 55-year-old Jeremy Styles, the Rocklin Police Department announced Sunday.
The Rakelas remained in custody until Tuesday afternoon when they appeared for their arraignment hearing in Placer Superior Court. The judge ordered them released after prosecutors informed the court they would not be filing charges against the Rakelas at this time, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office confirmed.
“Based on a review of these initial reports, additional time is needed to ensure that the charges brought, if any, are supported by the facts and the law,” the District Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a written statement to The Sacramento Bee.
Styles died in the incident reported about 8:45 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of Whitney Ranch Parkway and Whitney Oaks Drive in a residential neighborhood just southwest of McCormick Park.
The Police Department was investigating Styles’ death as a fatal road rage incident that escalated to a fight in the intersection. Officers arrived at the scene and found Styles on the ground and unresponsive, according to a police news release.
Police said officers began life-saving efforts until medics arrived; Styles was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators said they were searching for witnesses to the incident and what led up to it.
Prosecutors said their initial review of the gathered evidence included witness statements, audio recordings and video, and additional time was needed to “shed light on the physical confrontation that led to the Mr. Style’s death.” They also said their investigation would continue until all available evidence was collected and submitted to the District Attorney’s Office.
The law also requires that when an arrest is made, charges must be filed within 48 hours, or the arrestee must be released. Prosecutors said further investigation in this case is necessary to decide whether to file criminal charges.
“Decisions to arrest are made based upon a probable cause standard which was met in this case,” according to the statement from the District Attorney’s Office. “In contrast, a charging decision in a homicide case can be made only where the evidence would support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed without lawful self-defense.”
ABC 10 was the first on Tuesday to report news of the Rakelas’ release from the Placer County Jail. Linda Parisi, the defense attorney who appeared with the Rakelas in court Tuesday, was not available to comment Wednesday.
“Everyone is very saddened by what happened, but the circumstances were such that events unfolded and, while they feel very bad, we are confident that the criminal justice system and the investigation will demonstrate that it was, that their conduct, was appropriate,” Parisi told ABC 10.
Another man initially arrested on a homicide charge in December after a fight turned deadly in Placer County was released from jail after the Police Department and prosecutors determined further investigation was warranted.
Jonathan Michael Williams, 34, was found dead shortly before 9 p.m. on Dec. 10 after a shooting at his neighbor’s home in Lincoln. His neighbor, a 50-year-old man, was initially arrested on a homicide charge in connection with Williams’ death, according to the Lincoln Police Department.
Two days later, the Police Department announced in a news release that the arrested man was being released and that further investigation was needed to “establish the details and circumstances of the decedent’s presence inside the home, why the shooting occurred, and whether the decedent was lawfully inside the home when it happened.”
Police said at the time that the investigation into Williams’ death would continue, but a decision on whether to formally file criminal charges “can be made only where the evidence would support a finding beyond a reasonable doubt that a crime was committed without lawful self-defense.”
Court records on Wednesday showed prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against the man arrested in the December neighbor dispute in Lincoln.
