Another felony murder trial involving aiding and abetting in the crime is looming in Lyon County District Court, after a preliminary hearing Wednesday for Jorge Jurado resulted in his being bound over for trial on original charges, plus felony murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, aiding in firing into an occupied dwelling, and an alternative count of reckless, aggravated battery in the wounding of a second man.
On Monday, a jury convicted Samuel Llamas of felony murder in a similar situation that resulted in the shooting death of Omar Flores. The Flores shooting reportedly was the result of a drug deal gone bad. The current shooting is believed to have begun as a quarrel that went out of control.
Jurado, 22, had been charged with aiding and abetting in first-degree murder and attempted murder for the Dec. 20 shooting death of Jose Levya Arroyo, 25, also known as Samuel T. Rosado, which also resulted in a shooting injury to Juan Jose Rosales, 28, also known as “Panda.”
Assistant County Attorneys Rick Buck and Nick Heiman are prosecuting the case, with Charlie O’Hara of Wichita defending Jurado.
Jimmy Dominguez is charged with the shootings, which happened around 3 a.m. Dec. 20 at a garage behind 516 S. Union St., where Levya and his wife, Candida, lived.
District Judge Lee Fowler allowed the prosecution to add charges to the original complaint, based on testimony given in the preliminary hearing.
“The autopsy results indicate the projectile that killed Levya was medium-caliber, hollow-point bullet,” Fowler said. “Certainly there’s no evidence the shooting in this case was an accident. ...”
Fowler said that threats had been made by the defendant that “certain things” might happen to the victim, and a blanket was used to conceal the weapon as Jurado, Domingo and Velasquez drove to Leyva’s home, indicating a plan.
“... (T)here was plenty of evidence to lead the court to the probable cause,” Fowler said. “There’s also certainly evidence of firing a gun into an occupied structure. That again is unrefuted at this point.”
Anger grows
The shootings allegedly were the culmination of a bar quarrel that began between two women and escalated to include several of the men who were part of the opposing groups. Many of those involved had attended a wedding party at the Anderson Building before going to The Eclipse Bar, then on to gatherings at private homes when the bar closed.
A friend of Levya, Manuel Sandoval, testified at the preliminary hearing that he and his wife, Lydia, and Levya and his wife, Candida, had gone to The Eclipse. The argument reportedly began there, and initially involved a friend of Levya’s sister-in-law and another woman. After the argument was broken up, the couples and several other people went to the Levya home afterwards.
The women went into the house and the men went to the garage, where they were joined briefly by two other young men.
Sandoval said that about four firearms were taken out in the garage, and were not fired.
“I had never had a rifle in my hands before, so I was looking at it,” Sandoval said.
He said he left the gun on the table and went outside the garage to go inside the house.
“But on my way from the garage to the house ... I heard some gunshots, like three or four shots. ... I went back towards the garage. When I went in, I saw my friend Jose Levya and the other one on the ground.”
Sandoval testified that the women came to the garage.
“I just remember at that time I ran,” Sandoval said. “Candy was like on the ground, crying. I remember hugging her and telling her everything would be OK. And at that time, I didn’t realize who called the police, but they came after a while.”
Sandoval said that he did not hear nor see the vehicle carrying the shooter and his friends.
Concealing the weapon
One of the alleged shooter’s friends, Jose Manuel Garcia Velasquez, said that he had gone with a couple of women to a party at Jurado’s house after leaving the Eclipse. He, too, said that the quarrel in the bar did not escalate into a fist fight.
“Nothing really happened. They broke it up,” Velasquez said.
In a relatively short time, Velasquez testified, he rode in Jurado’s SUV with Jurado and Dominguez to Levya’s house. Velasquez said that he wanted to go home and did not know where Jurado and Dominguez planned to go.
Under questioning, Velasquez said that he had seen Jurado carry a blanket from the kitchen and saw it again in the vehicle on the passenger side. The blanket concealed what Velasquez described as a firearm “like an AK.”
Jurado drove into the alley behind the Levya home and stopped the vehicle by a fence next to the garage, leaving the engine running while Jimmy got out carrying the firearm.
“Did you know why you were there?” Buck asked.
“Yeah,” Velasquez said. “... When Jimmy got out, I basically knew. ... He got off and went toward the window of the garage. He pointed at the window and shot three shots.”
Dominguez allegedly ran back to the car and told Jurado “Go, leave, leave, now!” he said.
The three returned to Jurado’s home for a short time, then went to a house where Velasquez was staying with his girlfriend and another girl. He said they all spent the night there and never talked about the shooting incident.
Call 911
Blanca Bernice Parra Subiata, one of the women among the Levya group, had gone with Candida Leyva’s sister, Rosa, to the dance and on to the bar. Parra said that a woman named Monica began yelling at her.
“Next thing you know she just grabbed me by my hair and that’s when a big group of people ... got in it,” Parra said.
Parra said they had been warned to be alert before they left the bar.
“The other guy came and told Jose, ‘Hey, be careful. I think outside they’re gonna jump you,’” she said, adding that nothing happened as they left.
The group had not been at the Levya home long when the shooting occurred.
Parra called 911.
coldhardtruth (anonymous) says...
It seems like their is more to this story than what is being told... It makes the victims to this story seem a little too innocent.
April 23, 2010 at 8:40 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Whatever happened to a good night out at the clubs, getting your grease ration at S&S, and going home to make whoopie?
Seems like Party Priorities have changed.
Love those omlets!
April 23, 2010 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
onthalow (anonymous) says...
Humm if i remember right wasn't Jurado involved in a relationship with the murder victom's sister- in-law. Humm seems like they need to question her a little bit more. But thats just my opinion.
April 23, 2010 at 3:12 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )