Proceedings reset for ex-felon accused of murder
A Solano County Superior Court judge ordered a 23-year-old Fairfield man to return to Department 5 in the coming days to learn of his trial date on charges of murder and felony hit-andrun in connection to the death of his toddler nephew nearly 14 months ago.
After a preliminary hearing in February, Judge Stephanie Grogan Jones determined there was enough evidence to hold Cirilo Martinez Tellez for trial, then scheduled him to return for an arraignment, and told him to return Wednesday for a readiness conference and trial setting in the Justice Center in Fairfield.
But court records indicated Grogan Jones on Wednesday reshuffled the proceedings until 8:30 a.m.
April 28 and also scheduled him to return at 10 a.m. April 23 for a “995 motion,” a motion that asks a trial judge in a felony case to dismiss one or more of the charges. Martinez Tellez is represented by the Solano County Public Defender.
Fairfield police and court records indicate that at about 2 p.m. Feb. 23, 2020, officers and firefighters responded to reports of a collision in the 1400 block of West Texas Street. Upon arrival, officers found a 2-year-old boy who had been struck by a vehicle. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. The boy was not identified, but police revealed that Tellez was his uncle.
According to police, Tellez, who requires a Spanish-language interpreter during court proceedings, reportedly fled the collision moments afterward but left his vehicle at the scene. Police impounded the vehicle to search for evidence to help with the investigation. Based on witness statements and evidence collected at the scene, police determined that alcohol impairment allegedly played a role in the collision.
Police also said they recovered video surveillance footage that captured the direction in which Tellez fled. As the investigation proceeded, with enough evidence to indicate that a crime occurred, police used social media and community alerts to help locate Tellez, a previously convicted felon.
At 6 p.m., police said Tellez returned to the scene and was taken into custody. He was booked into Solano
County Jail on an arrest warrant. Bail was set at $235,000, and he remains in custody.
The Solano County District Attorney filed its complaint Feb. 25, 2020, the day Tellez first appeared in court.
Police initially presented the case to the District Attorney’s Office for review to consider additional charges of murder, violating his probation, and felony DUI resulting in death. Afterward, the DA’s Office upgraded a vehicular manslaughter charge to murder.
If found guilty at trial, Tellez would face a maximum prison term of 25 years, plus more time for any other charges and for being a previously convicted felon.