Next court date set in I-8 murder case
The next hearing for the Mesa man who allegedly killed his son and dumped his body along Interstate 8 was set Thursday in Yuma County Superior Court.
In providing the court with an update on the status of the case, attorney Ray Hanna, of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, informed the court that the prosecution has turned over its disclosure.
He added that he planned to release what the defense has later this week and that no plea offer has been made in the case yet.
As such, Hanna requested that his client’s next appearance be set as a final management conference or a trial-setting hearing.
Hanna represents Jose Gallardo, who has been charged with 10 felony offenses, including first-degree murder and kidnapping per domestic violence.
He has also been charged with five counts of aggravated assault per domestic violence, aggravated domestic violence, aggravated DUI and criminal damage.
Gallardo remains in custody at the Yuma County jail on a $2 million cash-only bond.
After hearing from both counsel, Superior Court Judge Darci Weede set the next hearing for 8:30 a.m. on March 7.
According to the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office, the incident happened at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Dec. 12, 2022, when deputies responded to a report of a man lying along the shoulder of the roadway in the area of mile marker 65 on Interstate 8.
Troopers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety (AZDPS), however, were the first to arrive on scene and had already located the man, who had apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead.
While deputies were on scene, they received a report of a vehicle collision on Interstate 8 near mile marker 54. One of the vehicles involved in that collision was later found out to have been involved in the homicide.
The driver of the car suspected of being involved in the killing, however, fled the scene on foot and was believed to still be in the vicinity, prompting a search of the area.
Gallardo, who is also the father of the slain man, was found several hours later the same day in the desert a short distance away with aerial assistance from Western Sky Helicopters.
He was arrested and booked into the Yuma County jail. The victim has been identified as 19-year-old Mario Nez of Tempe.