WOODLAND — With six suspects and even more attorneys involved, a high-profile Davis homicide case is expected to take a few more months to reach the preliminary hearing stage.
That hearing, in which a judge determines whether there is sufficient evidence for a case to proceed to trial, was scheduled for the week of Feb. 8, with prosecutors initially estimating it would take a week for them to present their case.
But then in late November, police captured suspect Joseph Sandeno, who had been at large since the Sept. 19 stabbing that killed Los Angeles college student Peter Gonzales, 23, inside the KetMoRee nightclub at Third and G streets.
Sandeno’s court-appointed attorney, Rod Beede, recently filed a continuance motion seeking more time to prepare for the hearing. Another defense lawyer, Tim Pori, soon will be embroiled in a four-defendant murder trial in another county that’s expected to extend into June.
During a pre-hearing conference in the case Thursday, prosecutor Garrett Hamilton said he’s “not opposed to a reasonable continuance.” He asked Yolo Superior Court Judge David Rosenberg to schedule another hearing next week to set the date, allowing the involved attorneys time to align their calendars.
Possible dates tossed about Thursday were in April but more likely July.
Hamilton also alerted Rosenberg that, instead of five days, the preliminary hearing could last anywhere from 10 to 15 court days, given the number of prosecution witnesses and extensive cross-examination they’re likely to undergo by each defendant’s attorney.
“That’s a long prelim,” Rosenberg remarked, setting a Feb. 3 court date for further discussion.
In addition to Joseph Sandeno, prosecutors have charged his brother, Zackary Sandeno, and four other suspects — Carlos Biviescas, Martyn Contreras, Anthony Rivera and Victor Vergara — with murder and participation in criminal street-gang activity, all six being alleged members of Norteño-affiliated street gangs in Vacaville.
They remain on no-bail holds at the Yolo County Jail.
— Reach Lauren Keene at lkeene@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8048. Follow her on Twitter at @laurenkeene
