UPDATE: Trial for husband of slain Rio Hondo teacher to be delayed
EDITOR’S NOTE: There were six postings prior to this updated article.
State District Judge Migdalia Loipez has permitted a delay in the trial of Julio Cesar Perez, charged with the murder of his wife, Sonia Perez, who was a Rio Hondo teacher.
Lopez Friday issued the order to give both prosecutors and defense attorneys more time to prepare their cases.
She rescheduled a status hearing for Sept. 4.
This was the first reported action in the murder for hire case since last October, when the second of six defendants entered a guilty plea.
At that time, Daniel Castaneda, 22, was sentenced to 35 years in prison in 197th state District Court.
Castaneda entered the plea bargain in the capital murder case and has agreed to testify against the other defendants.
Daniel Flores Lopez, the hitman in the shooting death of Rio Hondo Intermediate School teacher Sonia Perez and wife of Pentecostal minister Julio Cesar Perez, earlier was sentenced in 197th state District Court to life in prison without parole.
Lopez was the first of the suspects involved to enter a plea of guilty in the murder for hire case. He admitted to being the triggerman and reportly received $3,000 for his part in the plot.
Perez, 41, is accused of planning the murder for $120,000 in life insurance.
Lopez, 37, pleaded guilty in 197th state District Court to being the triggerman in the killing.
The Rio Hondo Intermediate School teacher was found shot two times, once in the right side of her head and once in her body.
She was found slumped in her vehicle off FM 1846 near Rio Hondo. Authorities had alleged Lopez hid in the back of her van and after she left classes for the day forced her to pull over and then shot her.
Execute the preacher,then he can go before God and explain why $120,000 was more important than the Commandment “Thou Shalt Not Kill” or something like that. Of course this faker will repent by the time he gets the needle. But he still should be sent to Hell.
SINCE VMS WONT PRINT THIS, I WILL: RICHMOND, Va. — A federal appeals court has dismissed the appeal of a woman convicted of murdering her husband, a University of Richmond professor.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond affirmed a judge’s dismissal of Piper Rountree’s claims in an unpublished order this week.
Rountree is serving life in prison for the 2004 murder of 52-year-old Fredric Jablin, who was ambushed when he stepped out of his home to retrieve the morning newspaper. U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady in Alexandria rejected several claims raised by Rountree, including that she was denied effective assistance of counsel and that much of the evidence and testimony in her case should not have been allowed.
The appeals court ruled that Rountree’s petition failed to demonstrate any constitutional violations.
It’s not enough. So if he lives another 30-40 years he will have food, clothing, medical care and will be able to have some sort of a job. His only restriction is he cannot go out side those walls (except when he escapes a time or two). How many million dollars will this cost us who commit no wrong? No Mr. District Attorney you did not do your job, this man, as well as the so-called minister, need to be given the needle of death. Then let God take over from there.
Hector, I have to disagree with you on this one. Studies have shown that it is much more expensive to house a convict on death row for however long he is there, pay his attorney’s fees till he exhausts all his appeals, pay for all the hoopla that surrounds an execution, than to house him for the rest of his life in prison. Personally I believe that I would rather be put to death than live 30-40 years in prison. I think death is the easy way out but I guess that depends on whether you feel that life is worth it no matter how you are spending it. I think murderers should have a huge picture of their victim or victims that covers the walls of their cells so that they have to look at them every minute that they spend in the cell.
Hector I am surprised the DA was even there. This guy does not convict anyone guilty or not.
It looks like the rats are leaving the sinking ship. Pretty soon, Brother Perez will be all alone to face the killing of his wife.
Jerry it’s funny how a criminal gets every opportunity to defend himself. Something the victim didn’t get, may she rest in peace.
How can anyone take someone else life for money, it is beyond reasoning.