Sandra and Gary De Bartolo
August 5, 2010
January trial set in Kerman slayings
Lawyer for only one of accused facing death wants more time
A January trial date has been set for six people charged with the murder of a Kerman couple, but the attorney for Leroy Anthony Johnson, 43 -- the only defendant facing the death penalty if convicted -- says he needs more time to prepare.
The five other defendants -- Chris Bernard Butler, 34; Andrew Dawayne Jones, 19; Jose Alfredo Reyes, 20; Dawn Marie Singh, 35; and Neko Anthony Wilson, 28 -- face life in prison without parole if convicted.
The six are each charged with two counts of murder in the stabbing deaths of Gary, 61, and Sandra De Bartolo, 62, inside their Kerman home at 15325 W. El Mar Lane on July 22, 2009.
According to sheriff's reports, Singh, Butler, Jones and Wilson waited outside the house while Johnson and Reyes went inside. Investigators have said Johnson was the killer.
On Thursday, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Denise Whitehead set the trial for Jan. 10. Whitehead said attorneys representing each defendant can file motions before the trial even though a trial judge has not yet been appointed.
Attorney David Mugridge, who is representing Johnson, said he will file a motion to set a later trial date. "There's absolutely no way I'll be ready to go" by January, he said.
Sheriff's reports say the defendants went to the De Bartolo home because it was filled with marijuana plants and growing equipment. Officers had the home under surveillance on the morning of the slayings because they had received a tip about a pending robbery.
Butler told investigators that Johnson said he killed the couple because "they didn't give him what he asked for."
http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/08/05/2031951/january-trial-set-in-kerman-slayings.html#ixzz0vp9vuOY0
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