Trial date set for man accused of shooting his wife
A February 2021 trial date has been set for Mark Antonio Villicana, who allegedly shot his wife in the back of the head during a domestic dispute last year.
Superior Court Judge Brandon Kinsey scheduled the jury trial to begin in Yuma County Superior Court on Feb. 10.
Villicana, who is represented by attorney Michael Donovan, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault, and one count each of attempted second-degree murder and disorderly conduct.
He appeared at Tuesday’s hearing telephonically and remains out of custody after posting bail.
Kinsey explained to Donovan that he couldn’t schedule the trial any sooner because of the protocols the court put in place to address the COVID-19 pandemic. That resulted in a large number of cases being postponed and rescheduled, so he did not have any dates available until that time frame.
A status hearing was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 20, 2020, as well as a final pre-trial conference in January 2021 at 8:30 a.m.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, on Sept. 13, 2018, 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.