Settlement conference on tap in shooting case
A status hearing Tuesday for the man who allegedly shot his wife in the back of the head was postponed until after a settlement conference in the case can be held.
Attorney Michael Donovan, who represents Mark Antonio Villicana, requested the meeting when Superior Court Judge Brandon Kinsey asked him to provide the court with an update on the case’s status. He did not provide any other information.
Upon hearing no objection from the prosecution, Kinsey ordered the case be transferred and a judge be appointed to conduct the settlement conference.
A settlement conference is a meeting between the prosecution, the judge and defense attorneys in an attempt to reach a mutually agreeable resolution to the case without having to go to trial.
Prosecutor James Eustace of the Yuma County Attorney’s Office also informed the court that he and Donovan were starting a three-week trial, and they would not be able to schedule the settlement conference until it was over.
As such, Kinsey scheduled a status hearing for 8:30 a.m. on March 19. The victim in the case was also present at the hearing, but declined to address the court when given an opportunity to do so.
Villicana, who appeared out of custody, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault and one count each of attempted second-degree murder and disorderly conduct.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 13 at about 8:30 p.m., deputies responded to a report of a shooting in the 10100 block of South Typhoon Avenue in the Foothills.
Upon arrival, deputies spoke to Villacana, who allegedly told them he had shot his wife. She was found in the garage of the home with a single gunshot wound to the head.
She was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center and later flown to a Phoenix-area hospital.