Three suspects in the 2011 Park Hill homicide of Mark Arballo had their proceedings pushed back again, with the next hearing scheduled for January, according to court records.
Their trial had been scheduled for Dec. 9, but that start date was vacated. A trial setting had been set for Dec. 12 at the San Benito County Courthouse but was also continued until 1:30 p.m. Jan. 10 in room 101 before Judge Steven Sanders, according to available records.
The three suspects who remain in adult court were bound over for trial in November 2012 for the January 2011 slaying.
Conrad Copado, Ray Gonzales and Isaiah Mendoza are accused of the adult homicide charges. They face respective allegations of first-degree murder along with other gang-related felonies. Due to their ages at the time of the suspected murder and other circumstances for each suspect, potential exposure varies from 35 years in prison to life in prison to life without parole. All three suspects are county residents.
Three other prior defendants are no longer in adult court – two had those charges dismissed in July 2012 after respective interviews with police. Those juvenile cases and their records are no longer open to public access. Five of the six initial suspects facing charges were juveniles at the time of the Jan. 4, 2011 beating of Arballo on Park Hill. Copado, 21 at the time, was the only adult suspect.
Arballo, 39 at the time, sustained major injuries to his head and died in a hospital about a month after the assault. Authorities alleged it was a gang-related homicide and retaliation against Arballo for being a witness to another crime.
