Hollister
– The man accused in the murder of Hollister resident Elizabeth
Esther Gomez will wait another week before entering a plea.
Hollister – The man accused in the murder of Hollister resident Elizabeth Esther Gomez will wait another week before entering a plea.
Samuel Ethan Turner, 25, appeared briefly Tuesday afternoon in San Benito County Superior Court, where Judge Steven Sanders appointed a new attorney to represent him and continued his arraignment to March 28.
Greg LaForge, who last week was appointed to represent Turner, told Sanders he had a conflict because he had previously represented Gomez in a civil matter.
Sanders appointed Harry Damkar to represent Turner. Sanders then continued the arraignment at Damkar’s request.
“It’s our request at this time to continue the arraignment until we receive the autopsy report and all other pertinent police reports,” Damkar said.
Authorities said the reports would take a week to produce.
Turner is charged with first-degree murder and mayhem in the death of Gomez. The 31-year-old woman was strangled and stabbed to death in her Hollister apartment on March 13.
The mayhem charge – added because of the brutality of the crime, according to the San Benito County District Attorney’s Office – makes Turner eligible for the death penalty.
Several of Gomez’s neighbors said she had introduced Turner to them as her boyfriend.
Tuesday’s continuation marks the second time the San Jose man’s arraignment has been delayed. At Turner’s initial appearance last Thursday, Sanders continued the arraignment because Turner told the judge he was feeling “spacey in the head” because of medication.
Jail personnel administered medication to Turner before last week’s hearing, but authorities would not say what he was given.
During Tuesday’s appearance, Sanders read Turner his rights and the charges against him for a second time. Turner addressed Sanders as “your honor” throughout the proceedings and seemed more alert and focused than during his initial appearance.
Turner is being held in 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.
