Trial date set in attempted murder case

An October trial date was set Tuesday in Yuma County Superior Court for a man charged in connection to an attempted homicide in which one adult female was shot and another stabbed.

Zack Dumyhan of the Yuma County Public Defender’s Office, who represents Juan Carlos Hernandez, also asked for a settlement conference.

When asked how long he anticipated the trial would last, Dumyhan said about a month.

He explained that the prosecution has potentially 34 witnesses – most of whom are law enforcement – and could take up to three weeks to present its case.

The defense, however, likely only needs a week, he continued.

Superior Court Judge Darci Weede granted his request and scheduled Hernandez’s trial to start on Oct. 18 and continue until early November.

She also set a final pretrial conference for 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 26.

Hernandez has been charged with attempted second-degree murder, armed robbery with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On Friday, July 24, 2020, at approximately 10:11 p.m. deputies responded to a report of a person with multiple gunshot wounds in the 2700 block of South Avenue 17E.

Upon their arrival on scene, deputies rendered first aid to an adult female who had been shot multiple times, and an adult female with a single stab wound.

Both females were later transported to Yuma Regional Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries.

During the course of the investigation, YCSO Investigators identified Hernandez as a suspect.

A previous trial date for Hernandez was vacated in March 2022 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.