SF man finally gets a jury trial date for 2017 murder charge
A 30-year-old San Francisco man who allegedly shot and killed another man during a reported botched drug deal in late February 2017 in a Fairfield park finally will face a jury trial in the coming months in Solano County Superior Court.
Domingo Marcellus Howard, charged with first-degree murder and two counts of robbery, was scheduled to appear Wednesday in Department 11 for a trial readiness conference and trial setting.
According to court records, Judge William J. Pendergast set the trial for 9 a.m. Sept. 7 in the Justice Center in Fairfield. In advance of the trial, Howard and his defense attorney will return at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 2 for a trial management conference.
Howard is represented by Solano County criminal defense attorney Dustin M. Gordon.
The defendant’s new court dates come four years after he allegedly shot and killed 25-yearold Jose Jimenez in Mankas Neighborhood Park, in the 2800 block of Owens Street, where a suspected drug deal apparently went sour.
Howard reportedly pointed the gun at the victim and another man, who were both inside a parked vehicle, before shooting Jimenez once in the midsection, robbing the men, then fleeing on foot.
Jimenez was taken to an area hospital, where he died of his wound.
Howard was arrested just before midnight on March 2, a few days after the shooting, at an apartment complex on College Oak Drive in Sacramento.
If found guilty of first-degree murder, Howard faces 25 years to life in state prison and likely additional time for the two robbery charges and the use of a firearm.
The arrest was made by the Fairfield Police Department with help from U.S. Marshals, the FBI Fairfield Safe Streets Task Force, FBI Sacramento Surveillance Team, Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, and the Solano County Sheriff’s Enforcement Team.
Howard, who is being held in Solano County Jail without bail, was identified by a witness in a police lineup following his arrest, according to testimony from previous court hearings.
If found guilty of firstdegree murder, Howard faces 25 years to life in state prison and likely additional time for the two robbery charges and the use of a firearm.