Capital Murder Trial Delayed Until 2018

SAN ANGELO, TX — A man charged with Capital Murder By Terror Threat will not have a court date scheduled until next year.

Jonathan Marin, 28,  along with co-defendants Elisa Victoria Losoya, 30, Eric Martinez, 27 and Fernando Lavaris, Jr., 30, were involved in the murder of William Valdez, 69. They are accused of robbing his home in the early morning of Aug. 31, 2015. 

Thursday, Marin sat before the 340th Judicial District Court with the honorable Judge Barbra Walther presiding ove his trial. 

Walther informed both the State and Defense Council that a trial date could not be set until after January 2018. She added that the remodeling of the courthouse was one of several logistical reasons behind the 2018 trial date. 

Marin's next pre-trial date is scheduled for Aug. 17, at 3:30 p.m. 

The case of codefendent Lavaris Jr. will commence trial on Jan. 22, 2018. 

The morning of the shooting, Losoya, Martinez, Lavaris Jr, and Marin went to the victims house in the 500 block of N. Sellers Street. Losoya told detectives that Marin had told her he was canvassing the house prior to the robbery.

According to court documents,  Losoya made contact with the witness, G. Valdez, in the driveway of the house and told them they needed to talk.

“[G. Valdez] was fearful and retreated back inside the house to call police,” said the complaint. “[He] locked the front door. [He] heard [the] sliding glass door being broken into as he entered his bedroom.”

At that point, G. Valdez closed his bedroom door and heard the front door being kicked open. He heard a male voice ask, “where’s the money?” The man also warned, “do not call the police.”

That’s when G. Valdez heard gunshots in his father’s bedroom. Because he was fearful of being shot, G. Valdez waited before exiting his bedroom. The gunshots caused severe injuries to William Valdez, which resulted in the loss of a kidney, a spinal cord injury and a perforated colon. William Valdez died from his injuries on Sept. 16, 2015. 

After exiting his room, “[G. Valdez] observed the back door open and believed [Losoya] and an unknown male had fled through [it],” read the complaint.