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DA declines to file case against two in Palmdale killing

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The shooting happened Saturday, Aug. 25, outside a residence in the 36500 block of Rozalee Drive in Palmdale..[AV News Crew]
PALMDALE – A man and woman arrested in connection with the shooting death of a man during a weekend fight in Palmdale were released from jail after the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office declined to file a case against them.

Jessica Cortes and Alec Nelson [Image via Facebook]
“A case was declined due to insufficient evidence” against Jessica Cortes and Alec Joseph Nelson, according to Ricardo Santiago of the District Attorney’s Office.

Cortes, 24, and Nelson, 28, both of Palmdale, were initially arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the shooting of Ruben Flores late Saturday night.

Los Angeles County sheriff’s detectives alleged that Cortes told them she feared Flores was inflicting serious injuries on Nelson when she opened fire outside a residence in the 36500 block of Rozalee Drive about 11:15 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25.

Flores, 38, died at a hospital.

A semi-automatic handgun was recovered at the shooting scene, sheriff’s officials said.

Cortes and Nelson are in a relationship, and Flores was accused of stalking the couple and making threats against Nelson and his family, according to sources familiar with the situation. This information could not be confirmed with investigators. Cortes and Nelson were released from jail Tuesday, Aug. 28, according to jail records.

Previous related story: Woman detained in connection with shooting death of man in Palmdale

Filed Under: Crime/ Safety

52 comments for "DA declines to file case against two in Palmdale killing"

  1. Wow so many lies Jessica didn’t know the man she killed she is my friend. I’m not saying murder is Rt but you have no mercy on a stranger to protect your family. Alec is brave to defend his woman they only did what is Rt. You would have done the same if the shoe was on the other foot. Seems like Ruben tried to rob them blind not knowing who they were he is doing what gangsters do only it turned on him. Bet he didn’t think that was going to happen. You see a couple of wealthy looking ppl in a dark place and think you can get away with robbery. Not in this case so sad how it played out. Justice was served. Sorry for the loss but what comes around goes around and Jessica killed him and will takes pride in that’s what happens to men that beat woman. Jessica knew what she was doing and wanted to do from the gate it’s wht she does best. Get what she can until she’s done she is a boss.

  2. I know all 3 and Ruben has been in prison half his life for killing innocent people.. Jessica is my best friend and did not mean to kill him but it was either her life or his..she was scared for her life.. so you people should stop assuming [removed] and actually look into on what you’re reading.

    • oh stop!! Since you knew all 3 than you know that’s not how it really went down. Admit it!!! Jessica is a fast ass! Always has been. Always chasing that $$ and The D. She led 2 men on and now one is dead because of it!!! She far from being innocent!!!!

      • man this [removed] got the nervous to say he was in jail half his life for killin innocent people look wat he did in his past wasnt to innocent people first of all they were just water down ass gangsters n a real one toke care of them like he had too so lets not get this twisted n try to make him look like the bad guy n this fast [removed] look innocent thats out n wont work with me so she should be in jail half her life too then for killin a innocent person that didnt do [removed] to her but her water down [removed] want to b gangster [removed] boyfriend that couldnt take a [removed] beating like a man from another man n got this [removed] to shoot him nah it sounds like she knew wtf she was doing n her n this other dude plane on doing this to him kuz does she always carry a gun with her if she so innocent y she have that in the first place I swear I believe he wouldnt fight for no hoe im sure that water down gang member from where ever the [removed] he from had exchange some words with Ruben where when they ran into each other they was going to get down but the [removed] set him up come on who really knows Ruben yea he likes [removed] n getting [removed] aint [removed] for him so y would he fight for someone like that come on there is more to it I dont care wat anyone [removed] all yall I just lost a ese of mines

      • I have that fast [removed] where on FB right this moment, her talking about the only thing that matter in court is “evidence” that shes a smart woman she says. This and that. She and that guy will get it.

    • no this female didnt say he was in jail half his life for killin innocent people wtf thats out look he wasnt doing nothing to the ur [removed] BF he was doin wat he do to the other guy that was a gang member too so in reality I would just say they were enemies the two guys rite n she was the gas to the fire she knew wtf she was doing with the guys n knew some [removed] like this would happen kuz of there gang related history rite kuz im sure my best friend wouldnt fight over no hoe he did more kuz where he was from n im sure my best friend said u talkin all that [removed] u better do something n got his [removed] whoop n couldnt take a beating so here comes captin save a [removed] shooting my best friend so ur saying she should go to jail half her life too for killin a innocent person too rite kuz what ever my best friend did in his pass there was a reason so yea he probably did kill someone but damn well they were not innocent tho so get ur [removed] rite when u want to come on here n say this is wat my best friend gets

    • [removed] this [removed] that shot him n [removed] that lamn that couldnt take a [removed] beating like a man n gotta have a [removed] save him talkin all that [removed] better do somethin n my boy did but u n ur [removed] is wrong for wat u did fast [removed] gotta go now bye bye

    • She’s such a liar and a b…. that was going out with both guys and didn’t Have another option but to kill Ruben , probably because she wa snore afraid of the husband and with those influences he has oviusly if she kills husband she goes to jail, so kill Ruben and she won’t go nowhere. Probably you don’t even know you’re (((((b…. friend)))

    • That’s why you got your [removed] beat. And that [removed] will pay for what she has done Ruben wouldn’t touch that hoe she was mad cuz he got bk with his real one. The truth will come out. And justice will be served. Now she gotta play the role like she was in love [removed] she loves everyone video proof just last week [removed] at the club in return for shots. God sees all. How do you murder someone u love then party after fake fake fake. What blk male didn’t work on Ruben so u had to protect yourself Rt. I wonder what Ruben had on your [removed] that you both had to set him up? Just a thought

  3. I knew the “victim” Ruben “shooter” Flores and his friends when I was in high school. Shooter was his street name. Ironic. I still know people who know his crowd and I hate to say this but the world is a better place without him. There’s a lot of bad to be said about him but I’ll just let him Rest In Peace.

    • next time let him rest in peace n save ur comment now lets see if he haunts ur ass lol

    • [removed] stfu he better haunt u in ur sleep for saying the world is a better place without him

  4. So can someone, anyone leave a reply as to what we can do to get these 2 monsters back to where they belong behind bars because something just is not right, nothing adds up here and after reading through the comments on this post I can assure you that I am not the only one thinking this way. Who on earth gets to walk free in 2 days after committing a murder!!!? They haven’t even questioned witnesses, neighbors, they haven’t looked for proper evidence through anything, anywhere but by the SUSPECTS own foolish words you’re going to tell me that we’re expected to just go dust our hands off & ACCEPT that!? NEVER. Just wait, this is not over. Regardless of Rubens history, that is inconclusive to this case, someone has to pay for what they did. And they will. We will fight for justice on his behalf.

    • For what it’s worth, the investigation that you are talking about would take time, and could very well be in process. They let her go because RIGHT NOW they don’t have the evidence to charge her. That doesn’t mean that no one is looking for such evidence.

  5. Seriously??.. released after a few days after shooting someone winning a fight?! Wow.
    So, Nelson was taken to jail, not the hospital?
    Must be mean he was not hurt or being seriously injured. Duh. The DA/ police are lazy morons. The word out is neighbors that called 911 after hearing several gunshots
    S P A C E D A P A R T were not interviewed.
    And that the two suspects FLED in a truck then later returned obviously realizing fleeing is an indication of GUILT. I guess in Palmdale the work load is too heavy for the DA to give a care.

    • Welcome to the AV..All of you are just realizing half the people in the law don’t even do half ass jobs..That’s why we have how many people and children included missing..home invasion Robberies everywhere out here..and how many unsolved homicides ..Hey you think after they drink there coffee and eat there donuts they’ll have time to get together and pull some Honda’s over and catch a couple of teenager’s and threaten them some more cause let’s face it us poor folks can’t afford those Trucks..Audi’s..SUVs.. or even a nice Sports car

  7. Funny i know them both and there both drug addicts and i can pretty much tell you that alec got away with it cause his grandmother was someone in the community before she died and was probably real goid friends with the da and theres no way that ruban over powered alec at all he is a big boy with a reL badanger problem who beats up his mom and gorlfriends someone should pressure the da to file plus hes an informant

      • Due process is very fallible. It’s so easy to end up in jail here, and be totally innocent of your crime.

        • Fallible? It’s actually more a matter of it being for sale, and expensive. If you have the money to pay a big enough squad of lawyers you get due process. If you don’t then the prosecuter’s office can smother you with enough “process” that your only way out is to take a plea. Whether they choose to “prosecute” the case by the ‘drive them to bankruptcy and make a deal’ method or not is unpredictable, at best. I’m a bit surprised that they didn’t in this case, since it seems likely that the defendant wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the expenses of a defense.

        • There are many people in jail that are innocent. They are either awaiting a plea agreement, trial, or sentencing, or are serving a sentence typically less than a year. Jails are run by the county, and prisons run by Prisons and Corrections office in respective states.

  9. That’s right !! Set me girl free she IS INNOCENT [removed] WHAT ANYONE SAYS YALL DONT KNOW [removed] BESIDES WHAT MEDIA TELLS YOUR [removed]

    • take all these damn DACA people out of California Sanctuary cities got to go

      The girl had a gun she’s got somebody hang her ass

  10. The “victim” was a convicted murderer who spent years in jail. So if someone who was in prison for killing people and was on parol threatened your family you wouldn’t be worried? Shut up if you don’t know anything. News will only put parts of a story. Your all idiots

    • okay here’s a duck a person sticking up for another DACA your ignorant you guys are disgusting

    • Sure thing. You must be either one other murderers or a family member to say something to justify killing the victim. I do believe in a court of law the victims past is not grounds for shooting them.

  11. Please don’t conflate this case with “stand your ground” laws. California has a very rational position on self-defense, and this case qualifies.

    Right now Florida lawmakers are yammering about a case in Florida which they say shows their “stand your ground” law working “exactly as intended.” Problem is that the case they are talking about would have been “no charges filed, self defense” under the laws of every state in the union, and would have been “no charges filed, self defense” in Florida BEFORE they passed their poorly crafted “stand your ground act,” which is actually an invitation to commit murder and get away with it.

    I know you didn’t use the phrase “stand your ground” in the sense of supporting such “stand your ground” legislation, but that term has been pretty well appropriated for that cause.

  12. Really ??!! Seriously ??!! Released them based on their own account of what happened ??!!!
    The police didn’t even interview neighbors.
    Several shots were fired with a long pause between the last two. The two perpetrators FLED in a truck immediately after the shooting then returned and parked behind the residence. Fleeing the scene is the first indicator of GUILT.
    Detectives on this case are morons. Oh yeah.. it’s been reported the victim was a stalker and an acquaintance of the two thugs? Hmm. You must be real stupid to hang out with your stalker. Wow. The idiocy of this is embarrassing. Great job deputies & DA!!

    • It seems like you where there to witness this all? No don’t think so. Stop making lies on what you don’t know

      • Aaron, your a real idiot you know that right!!! First of all dumb ass who’s gun was it and was it registered? Now i could be wrong but im pretty sure it wasn’t registered to either of the two murders who are getting away with this. Think before you open that stupid mouth of yours!!!

    • Alec and Jessica had video proof of this man stalking and attacking them and they handed it over to cops. This video proof is what exonerated them.

  13. So I guess anyone can get away with murder now a days..she could have called the cops while they were fighting done anything else but shoot him killed him and got away with it smh Where is the justice for the other family..

    • You are allowed to defend another in the presevation of life. Quite possible she thought his life was in danger.

      • And quite impossible to prove that she didn’t, which is where law and courts have to interact with reality. Whether she did or didn’t is actually not important, from a legal standpoint. This is where poorly crafted laws such as Florida’s “stand your ground” go badly awry. Since there is no way to prove what you were thinking, a law saying effectively “as long as you think you are in danger you can do whatever you want” is an invitation to murder.

        In this case, her “thinking” about whether there was a risk to life and a need to preserve it aren’t really important. California law is written such that ACTIONS are what matters. By all available accounts her actions prior to use of deadly force were sufficient to meet the requirement for having tried all reasonable options, and the situation presented valid reason to believe a life was in danger.

        While it is true that “all available accounts” are potentially biased in her favor, they are still the only available accounts. Without anything else to go on there is no way to press a charge…or indication that any charge is warranted.

  14. I didn’t read that anyone left the scene, or that she had a concealed weapon. There is obviously much more to this story, because the article says that Ruben Flores was stalking this couple and making threats against Nelson and his family. Glad to see some mercy applied here.

    • Yep, she could have lived there and retrieved the gun from the residence to defend her boyfriend. But I find it hard to believe firing a shot was her only option as most people will retreat from a fight when a gun is pointed at them. And they had plenty of time to get their story straight before cops showed up and could separate them and get a statement. They can always file charges later if they uncover more evidence.

      • Done a survey, have you Snot? Or have you just pointed a gun at what you consider to be an adequate sample of people?

        • Cops only point guns at people when they are going to shoot them, Snot. The thing that usually “gets them to comply” is the backing authority of the state, which holds the nearly monopolistic grip on legal use of violence. Just pointing a gun at someone is more likely to get you hurt or killed than it is to “get them to comply.”

          Study up, Snot. Problems in school due to your name are no excuse for spouting nonsense later in life.

        • “Cops only point guns at people when they are going to shoot them” <that statement.

          So every time a cop draws his firearm he/she is going to use it? As a 2 time felon and having been homeless for around 15 years, I have lost count as to how many times a cop has pointed a gun at me or at least held it in his hand during a stop. And never did a cop fire a shot at me. When a cop decides to shoot you, then the trigger is pulled. I once had a cop pull up next to me while I was out walking and the cop in the passenger seat had his gun in his hand they just asked my name and drove off.

          • There is a big difference between “pointed a gun at me” and “held it in his hand.” By department policy holding their gun in their hand, pointed down, is a standard thing to do in any situation that is, or might become, even slightly precarious. Pointing guns at people is severely frowned upon and only acceptable if the situation has become something calling for deadly force, and in such situations they are expected to point AND shoot…repeatedly.

            I tried to complain once about a cop pointing a gun at me without cause, but eventually had to acknowledge that in fact he did keep it pointed at the ground the entire time he was threatening me. It was scary and I “felt like” it was pointed at me, but it really wasn’t.

  15. I can’t believe the da couldn’t file charges against them a manslaughter charge fleeing the scene of a crime charge not having a Concealed Carry Permit charge nothing this man died because he beat the other one up wow