Tuesday, October 19th:
*Hearing (@ 1pm ET) – AL – Oralia Mendoza (49) (missing June 4, 2018, Huntsville, found June 15, 2018) & granddaughter Mariah Feit Lopez (13) (missing June 4, 2018, Huntsville, found June 7, 2018) – Only for *Isreal Gonzalez Palomino (34) arrested & charged (6/14/18) & indicted (10/29/19) with 2 counts of capital murder & drug possession. Held without bond.
Green card holder. Originally arrested on possession of drugs.
7/16/18: In court for original drug possession charge. 7/16/18: Waived his rights to Prelim hearing on 8/2/18.
5/29/19 Update: Attorneys for Palomino filed the subpoena last week, asking for any and all records since he was incarcerated in June 2018. The state filed a motion to dismiss the subpoena, calling it an “effort to engage in a fishing expedition.”
6/10/19 Update: Hearing on 6/13. 6/13/19: A judge is urging prosecutors to keep the case moving forward. The district attorney told the judge he expects to be able to ready to take Palomino's case to the grand jury sometime in Sept. 27.
9/27/19 Update: Status hearing held. Grand Jury to hear both cases on Oct. 29. No trial before August, 2020. 10/29/19: Grand Jury indictment on 2 counts of capital murder & drug possession.
11/14/19 Update: Palomino's counsel, Ron Smith, notified the court Tuesday he has to withdraw from the case due to a conflict of interest. Smith said he couldn't disclose the conflict. The judge now has to decide whether or not to take Smith's withdrawal from the case. Nick Heatherly is Smith's co-counsel, but if Smith is withdrawn from the case, a new second attorney will almost certainly be appointed for Palomino since it is a death penalty case. That could also delay the setting of a trial date. Palomino is currently slated to go on trial in December for trafficking methamphetamines.
10/15/21 Update: Next hearing on 10/19/21.
*Yoni Martinez-Aguilar (26) arrested (6/15/18), charged (7/12/18) & indicted (10/29/19) with 2 counts of capital murder & drug possession. Held without bond. Undocumented.
(LE says might have connection to Sinaloa drug cartel). Yoni said he had to kill Mariah as she saw him murder Oralia; YA says Palomino killer Oralia.
7/21/18 Update: Case goes to Grand Jury. 1/17/19: Yoni in Status hearing. Judge sets “late April” for case to go to Grand Jury.
10/29/19 Update: Grand jury indicted Aguilar on 2 counts of capital murder & drug possession. Next status hearing on 12/20. 12/20/19: Next pretrial hearing on 2/7/20. 2/7/20: Next status hearing on 2/21/20. 2/21/20 Update: Next hearing on 5/27/20. No update thru 10/23/21.