The trial of a man accused of stabbing 28-year-old Alexander
Hurtado to death in December 2007 is set to start next week with
jury selection scheduled for Monday morning.
The trial of a man accused of stabbing 28-year-old Alexander Hurtado to death in December 2007 is set to start next week with jury selection scheduled for Monday morning.
Jose A. Covian, 23, is suspected of stabbing and killing Hurtado in December 2007 in the 800 block of C Street during a confrontation outside a small party. If convicted, he faces the possibility of 25 years to life in prison.
The trial had been scheduled to begin in January, but a judge agreed to move the proceedings after the district attorney’s office had requested the change in a written motion due to DNA lab issues.
Covian’s attorney, Public Defender Gregory LaForge, noted how the two sides expect the trial to last five to 10 days. Jury selection should take at least all of Monday, he anticipates, because it take “a little longer on a homicide trial” since attorneys are allowed twice as many choices, 20, when it comes to excusing potential jurors, LaForge said.
