Judge: Alleged Pomona gang members must stand trial for shooting death
Two alleged Pomona gang members have been ordered to stand trial for the December murder of Miguel Martin, 24.
Jose Luis Gutierrez, 16, is accused of shooting and killing Martin on Dec. 5 in the parking lot of Guadalajara Market, 1134 W. Mission Blvd. Prosecutors have charged Gutierrez as an adult.
Albert Matthew Sandoval, 21, is accused of dropping off Gutierrez near the market for the purposes of killing Martin.
After hearing testimony from five witnesses Wednesday during a preliminary hearing in Pomona Superior Court, Judge Charles Horan ruled that Gutierrez and Sandoval must stand trial on murder charges.
Horan also held the men to answer on allegations that the murder was committed for the benefit of a street gang, said Deputy District Attorney Bjorn Dodd, the prosecutor assigned to the case.
Both men potentially face 50 years to life in prison, and Gutierrez may face more time because of the gang enhancement, Dodd said.
Dodd said that Martin and some of his family members had been harassed and intimidated in the past by a street gang that Gutierrez and Sandoval were members of.
The day of the shooting, friends of Gutierrez and Sandoval got into an argument with Martin in front of Martin's home, Dodd said.
The five witnesses at last week's preliminary hearing included two Pomona police detectives, two people who witnessed the shooting, and a relative of Martin who was familiar with the ongoing disagreements between Martin's family and the street gang, Dodd said.
Gutierrez and Sandoval are next due in court Feb. 26.
Click here to read past stories on the case.
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