Murder charges filed against suspect in double homicide
Formal charges were filed in Yuma Justice Court on Thursday against the man who turned himself in to Yuma police in connection to a double homicide that happened earlier this week.
Appearing before Justice of the Peace Gregory Stewart, 47-year-old Guadalupe Pelayo was informed that a criminal complaint had been filed against him, charging him with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder.
Pelayo will remain in custody at the Yuma County jail after Stewart granted a request from prosecutor Karolyn Kaczorowski to not reduce the bond from the $2 million cash-only amount it had been previously set at.
Pelayo’s next court date has been set for 4 p.m. on Feb. 10, but it will likely go before the Yuma County Grand Jury before then. If that does happen, his next hearing will instead be in Yuma County Superior Court.
Several victims were also present at the hearing, with the wife and daughter of one of the men who were killed both addressing the court.
While both wanted Pelayo to remain in custody, the daughter spoke briefly about how heartbroken she was over the loss of her father, with the wife saying she could eventually forgive him.
Pelayo turned himself in to the Yuma Police Department at approximately 8:24 p.m. Monday, the same day of the shooting.
According to Yuma police, officers responded to the 100 block of East 1st Street at about 1:21 a.m. to a report of shots fired.
Upon their arrival, officers found two men with gunshot wounds.
The men have been identified as 41-year-old Francisco Lopez, who was pronounced deceased at the scene, and 35-year-old Luis Navarrete, who was transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center, where he later died.
Stewart also assigned a court-appointed attorney to represent Pelayo.