Change of plea hearing continued in fatal shooting
A change-of-plea hearing on Tuesday in Yuma County Superior Court for one of the six defendants charged in connection with last year’s fatal shooting of a 20-year-old man — during what is believed to have been a home invasion — did not happen and has been continued until later this month.
In providing the court with a status of the case, attorney Raymond Vacca, of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, asked for a continuance saying he had been in negotiations with the prosecutor assigned to the case because his client was receptive to a plea offer.
Vacca represents Juan Pablo Torres, who has been charged with one count of first-degree murder, one count of attempted seconddegree murder, one count of kidnapping and eight counts of aggravated assault for his alleged role in the crime, which led to the death of Leondre Richards.
He has also been charged with three counts of aggravated robbery, three counts of burglary, four counts of armed robbery, four counts of endangerment, one count of criminal damage, and remains in custody on a $1 million cash-only bond.
Vacca continued by saying that he had reviewed the terms of a plea offer the prosecution had made and sent it back asking for a modification, but that he had not heard back about his request.
“We are basically one year apart,” Vacca said, which may have been a reference to the length of the prison sentence being negotiated in the plea agreement.
He went on to say that he would continue working with the prosecutor and hopes to have a plea offer prepared in time for his client’s next hearing.
Superior Court Judge Stephen Rouff, who is presiding over the case, granted Vacca’s request for a continuance and rescheduled Torres’ next court appearance for 8:30 a.m. on Feb. 27.
Torres and his co-defendants are alleged to have committed a series of three home invasions in July looking for drugs and money, with Richards’ murder happening at the last of the three homes.
The case has previously been designated as a complex case, and there are more than 2,000 documents and 32 CDs with hours of audio and video recordings.
James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854. Find him on Facebook at www.Facebook. com/YSJamesGilbert or on Twitter @ YSJamesGilbert.