Post by Anja on Jun 9, 2006 15:27:42 GMT -5
Capital murder pretrial held
The extra steps toward security - 4 deputies flanking 3 jumpsuit-clad
inmates sitting together at the defense table - was a stark reminder
Thursday of the viciousness of the crime the defendants are accused of
committing. The pretrial hearing in Judge Martha Trudo's 264th District
Court was a chance for the prosecution and defense attorneys to complete
some housekeeping items before the accused young men have their day in
court on June 26.
"We want to make sure everyone is on the same page," said First Assistant
District Attorney Murff Bledsoe, the lead prosecutor.
Harker Heights residents Russell J. Alligood, 25, a former 1st Cavalry
Division soldier; Brandon Lee Hammock, 16; Erik Leonard Siperko, 18; and
Matthew Allen Harris, 22, are charged in the slaying of Capt. Jason Luz
Gonzalez at his Harker Heights home on June 3, 2005.
Alligood, Hammock, and Siperko will be tried together; Harris will be
tried separately.
Each was indicted on charges of capital murder committed during the course
of a burglary by a Bell County grand jury on Sept. 28, 2005, and each was
re-indicted on May 17 for charges of capital murder committed during the
course of a robbery.
"The court had a pretrial hearing before the last scheduled trial date
(April 3) on the previous indictments," Bledsoe said. "Subsequent to that,
new indictments were returned."
The difference between a robbery and a burglary is whether a victim is
physically present.
A person is charged with a burglary when he or she breaks into a home or
building and no one is there.
The new indictments were not changes to the original indictments, but
merely additions.
The new capital murder indictments don't change the severity of the
punishment in the event of a guilty verdict - life in prison. Hammock -
certified to stand trial as an adult - and Siperko, 15 and 17 years old at
the time of the offense, are not eligible for the death penalty.
Bledsoe explained to Trudo that a couple of the defendants had not been
arraigned on the re-indictments.
An arraignment is simply having the indictment read to the defendant and
the accused entering a plea.
Hammock and Siperko pleaded not guilty to the new charges; Alligood waived
his right to an arraignment.
The prosecution and 3 defense attorneys declared they were ready to
proceed with the trial.
The defendants are accused of killing the 28-year-old captain at his home
in Harker Heights during a burglary. Gonzalez died from multiple gunshot
wounds to the head and chest.
Gonzalez was an Apache helicopter pilot with the 4th Infantry Division and
had been scheduled to leave for Iraq this past November.
In the arrest affidavit, the four men admit to breaking into the house on
Iron Jacket Trail, shooting and killing Gonzalez and stealing several
items, including the victim's truck which was later found at the bottom of
Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.
(source: Killeen Daily Herald)
The extra steps toward security - 4 deputies flanking 3 jumpsuit-clad
inmates sitting together at the defense table - was a stark reminder
Thursday of the viciousness of the crime the defendants are accused of
committing. The pretrial hearing in Judge Martha Trudo's 264th District
Court was a chance for the prosecution and defense attorneys to complete
some housekeeping items before the accused young men have their day in
court on June 26.
"We want to make sure everyone is on the same page," said First Assistant
District Attorney Murff Bledsoe, the lead prosecutor.
Harker Heights residents Russell J. Alligood, 25, a former 1st Cavalry
Division soldier; Brandon Lee Hammock, 16; Erik Leonard Siperko, 18; and
Matthew Allen Harris, 22, are charged in the slaying of Capt. Jason Luz
Gonzalez at his Harker Heights home on June 3, 2005.
Alligood, Hammock, and Siperko will be tried together; Harris will be
tried separately.
Each was indicted on charges of capital murder committed during the course
of a burglary by a Bell County grand jury on Sept. 28, 2005, and each was
re-indicted on May 17 for charges of capital murder committed during the
course of a robbery.
"The court had a pretrial hearing before the last scheduled trial date
(April 3) on the previous indictments," Bledsoe said. "Subsequent to that,
new indictments were returned."
The difference between a robbery and a burglary is whether a victim is
physically present.
A person is charged with a burglary when he or she breaks into a home or
building and no one is there.
The new indictments were not changes to the original indictments, but
merely additions.
The new capital murder indictments don't change the severity of the
punishment in the event of a guilty verdict - life in prison. Hammock -
certified to stand trial as an adult - and Siperko, 15 and 17 years old at
the time of the offense, are not eligible for the death penalty.
Bledsoe explained to Trudo that a couple of the defendants had not been
arraigned on the re-indictments.
An arraignment is simply having the indictment read to the defendant and
the accused entering a plea.
Hammock and Siperko pleaded not guilty to the new charges; Alligood waived
his right to an arraignment.
The prosecution and 3 defense attorneys declared they were ready to
proceed with the trial.
The defendants are accused of killing the 28-year-old captain at his home
in Harker Heights during a burglary. Gonzalez died from multiple gunshot
wounds to the head and chest.
Gonzalez was an Apache helicopter pilot with the 4th Infantry Division and
had been scheduled to leave for Iraq this past November.
In the arrest affidavit, the four men admit to breaking into the house on
Iron Jacket Trail, shooting and killing Gonzalez and stealing several
items, including the victim's truck which was later found at the bottom of
Stillhouse Hollow Reservoir.
(source: Killeen Daily Herald)