Three men charged
in an Orlando nightclub shooting that killed two people and injured eight — including four bystanders — could go to trial in October.
Three men charged in an Orlando nightclub shooting that killed two people and injured eight — including four bystanders — could go to trial in October, a judge said Wednesday.
Joseph Villalobos, 22, and Jonathan Avila Rojas, 33, died in the shooting at Glitz Ultra Lounge on Universal Boulevard in the heart of the tourist district.
Police have described the shooting as a fight between two rival gangs: Los Lobos and Los Alqaedas.
Orlando police arrested four men on second-degree murder charges in connection with their deaths: Christian Castro-Cotto, Luis Gadiel Cruz-Nazario, Carlos Perez De Armas and Jose Angel Hernandez.
Defense attorneys told Orange Circuit Judge Lisa Munyon they needed more time to finish conducting depositions and file additional motions. She agreed to set the trial date for late October.
Perez De Armas is the only one still being held in the Orange County Jail. He was injured in the shooting and used a wheelchair during Wednesday’s hearing, sitting in the jury box.
He will go before a judge again today to ask Munyon to set bail for him, court records show.
Castro-Cotto and Hernandez have both been released on bail, Hernandez in August 2016 and Castro-Cotto in March. They attended Wednesday’s hearing as well, sitting in civilian clothes at the defendants’ table.
Last August, a judge ordered Cruz-Nazario’s release from jail because of a procedural issue. Police arrested him twice on different charges, once in February and once in June, even though both stemmed from the same incident at Glitz, records show.
Less than a month after his release, Cruz-Nazario was shot and killed in Belle Isle. The case remains unsolved. Anyone with more information about it can call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.
Orlando police have said the trouble started when alleged members of Los Lobos and Los Alqaedas spotted each other at Glitz the night of the shooting on Feb. 7, 2016. The two groups were in a feud based on rumors that a person in one gang gave authorities information about a member of the other gang to get a lighter sentence, police said.
Castro-Cotto was in an upstairs balcony, police said. He saw opposing gang members downstairs and raised his arms as if to challenge them, according to investigators.
Downstairs, Avila Rojas saw Castro-Cotto. Not wanting a fight, he asked for the leader of Los Lobos to come downstairs so they could talk.
The Los Lobos leader came down with nine others, including Cruz-Nazario and Perez De Armas, who were armed, court records show.
Castro-Cotto approached one of the men and, according to police, smashed a glass in his face. CruzNazario then pulled out his gun and started firing, investigators said. Perez De Armas is accused of shooting too.
The confrontation left two people dead and four alleged gang members injured. Four club-goers — three women and a man — who were not involved with the gangs also were hurt.
The club has since closed, and its owner filed for bankruptcy.