Hollister
– It will be another three weeks before the man accused in the
murder of Hollister resident Elizabeth Esther Gomez enters a
plea.
Hollister – It will be another three weeks before the man accused in the murder of Hollister resident Elizabeth Esther Gomez enters a plea.
Samuel Ethan Turner’s arraignment on charges of murder and mayhem was continued for a third time Wednesday because his attorney is awaiting additional police reports.
Attorney Harry Damkar, who represents the 25-year-old San Jose resident, said he is waiting to receive an autopsy report and additional reports not in the hands of law enforcement or the district attorney’s office.
“We thought they would have been prepared already,” he said. “But we anticipate they’ll be here within a week or two.”
Hollister Police Capt. Bob Brooks said detectives are completing a follow-up investigation, but he would not release details.
San Benito County Superior Court Judge Steven Sanders continued Turner’s arraignment for April 18, at which time the defendant is expected to enter a plea to charges of murder and mayhem.
Turner is accused of strangling and stabbing the 31-year-old Gomez to death in her Hollister apartment on March 13.
Several of Gomez’s neighbors said she introduced Turner as her boyfriend.
District Attorney Candice Hooper added mayhem to the murder charge because of the brutality of the crime, she said. The mayhem charge makes Turner eligible for the death penalty, according to the California Penal Code.
Turner is being held at the San Benito County Jail without bail.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 335 or [email protected].
