Murder suspect appears in San Fernando court

A Saugus man accused of stabbing his mother to death appeared briefly in court Tuesday.

Jesse Lucatero, 24, appeared in San Fernando Superior Court to set a date for a preliminary hearing, but instead was told to return in a month when that decision is expected to be made.

Lucatero is scheduled to appear back in court March 27, Paul Eakins, spokesman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, told The Signal Tuesday.

This is the second time scheduling plans have been postponed for Lucatero. In September, the job of choosing a date for a preliminary hearing was put off until October.

At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors will present evidence in the case, and the defense can respond, after which the judge will decide if the case should go to trial.

Lucatero faces one count of murder with the allegation he used a knife during the crime of killing his mother 56-yearold Maria Acevedo.

He was arrested on Oct. 3, 2016, four hours after the stabbing, initially as a person of interest and then as the man suspected of murdering his mother inside the family home on the 19500 block of Castille Lane, prosecutors said.

Acevedo’s body was discovered by the victim’s husband, who is the defendant’s father, prosecutors noted in a news release issued shortly after the arrest.

If convicted as charged, Lucatero faces a possible maximum sentence of 26 years to life in state prison. The requested bail is more than $2 million.

Deputy District Attorney Pam Revel is the assigned prosecutor.