Killings case put on hold:

The Nevada Supreme Court ruled Washoe County prosecutors lack jurisdictional authority – at least for now – to prosecute a Salvadoran immigrant in Reno for two of the four killings that he’s accused of committing outside the county.

The high court ordered Judge Connie Steinheimer to reconsider her refusal to dismiss some of the charges accusing Wilber Martinez Guzman of going on a six-day killing rampage in northern Nevada in January 2019.

But the justices explained Thursday she could deny the motion again if she determines the crimes were sufficiently related to justify prosecuting him in Washoe County for all the shootings, including two in nearby Douglas County.

For now, they said Steinheimer has incorrectly concluded the Washoe County grand jury enjoyed statewide authority to indict him on the Douglas County counts.

“Territorial jurisdiction of the district court does not extend statewide,” Justice Elissa Cadish wrote in the unanimous, 14page opinion.

Federal officials have said MartinezGuzman is in the US illegally, but they don’t know how or when he crossed the Mexico border. The case has drawn the

attention of President Donald Trump, who says it shows the need for a border wall.

A Washoe County grand jury indicted Martinez Guzman on 10 counts last year.

Investigators say he stole a revolver from Gerald and Sharon David in southwest Reno Jan. 4, 2019, before traveling to rural Douglas County where he shot Constance

Koontz Jan. 9 and Sophia Renken Jan. 12, then returned to rob and kill the Davids Jan. 15. (AP)