Trial dates were set for two homicide cases and one attempted
murder case Wednesday morning in San Benito County Superior Court.
A judge also set a preliminary hearing date for Cheryl A. Busch,
accused of shooting and killing her 19-month-old daughter in
November.
HOLLISTER
Trial dates were set for two homicide cases and one attempted murder case Wednesday in San Benito County Superior Court. A judge also set a preliminary hearing date for Cheryl A. Busch, accused of shooting and killing her 19-month-old daughter in November.
The trial date for Samuel Turner, 27, is scheduled for Oct. 26 with a confirmation date of Oct 7. The case is slated to have a 12- to 15-day trial.
Turner is suspected of strangling and stabbing 31-year-old Hollister woman Elizabeth Esther Gomez, 31, in her apartment on March 13, 2007.
The trial for Ruben Garcia, 41, is scheduled to begin on June 8 with a confirmation hearing May 20.
Garcia is the suspect in the shooting of his mother over a financial dispute on June 1, 2008. He is accused of shooting his mother in the face, arm and hand with a handgun. The mother survived the attack.
The trial for Jose Covian is scheduled for a confirmation hearing on June 24 and a jury trial beginning July 13. Judge Steven A. Sanders said that it is scheduled for a 10-day jury trial.
Covian is accused of stabbing 28-year-old Hollister resident Alejandro Hurtado on Dec. 3, 2007, on C Street. His bail was set at $1 million.
Busch, meanwhile, will have her next hearing at 9 a.m. June 3. She has pleaded not guilty of homicide for the suspected killing of her daughter Donna Busch in the 2300 block of Shore Road. As it stands if she’s convicted of all charges, including a proposed enhancement from prosecutors, Busch could face a sentence of 50 years to life in prison. A capital offense conviction, meanwhile, qualifies for the death penalty.
For an expanded version of this story, see the Free Lance on Tuesday.
