Juan Balderas after his arrest in December 2005
Juan Balderas
Updated photo of Juan Balderas
Two men facing the death penalty as trials open
Two Harris County men are facing the death penalty as jury selection got underway this week in two separate capital murder trials.
Because picking a dozen death penalty jurors and alternates involves lengthy individual questioning, testimony in both cases is scheduled to begin in a month.
Juan Balderas, 27, is accused of shooting Eduardo Hernandez during a burglary in 2005.
George Curry, 47, is charged with shooting Edward Virappen, the manager of the fast food restaurant where Curry had been employed, during a 2009 robbery.
Testimony is scheduled to begin Feb. 10 in both the cases.
The Harris County District Attorney's Office sought the death sentence only once last year. Obel Cruz-Garcia was put on death row in November for the death of 6-year-old Angelo Garcia in 1992.
Nineteen other suspects accused of capital murder were found guilty and sentenced to life in prison last year. One was found not guilty.
Four other men are scheduled to go trial in death penalty cases over the next two years: Jeffery Prevost, Harlem Lewis, Randolph Greer and Steven Hobbs.
At least six other men also are facing the death penalty in Harris County.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-te....php?cmpid=htx
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