Jose Aguilar Aguilar murder trial scheduled for next week

EPHRATA — The trial for a Desert Aire man who is accused of murdering his girlfriend four years ago is scheduled to take place next week.

Jose Aguilar Aguilar, of Desert Aire, is currently charged with first-degree murder, alien in possession of a firearm, harassment and intimidating a witness in Grant County Superior Court. Aguilar Aguilar’s attorney, David Bustamante, told the Columbia Basin Herald his client’s trial is expected to take place on Wednesday.

Bustamante said there are number of other cases set for trial on the same day and in Grant County cases usually are heard on a priority basis, which the court establishes. The court usually looks at how long a case has been around and the trial deadline, regarding when the last possible date is that a trial can be held.

Bustamante explained there is a possibility of another case being heard on Wednesday ahead of the Aguilar Aguilar matter, but he noted all the involved parties are trying to have the case be heard and there is an “excellent” chance it will be heard on Wednesday.

“Based on the complexity of the issues and the fact that we have eight Spanish speaking witnesses who will be needing interpreters, I would conservatively estimate two to four weeks (for the trial),” Bustamante said.

Aguilar Aguilar was arrested on Oct. 29, 2012 at a Mattawa laundromat after the body of Carmelita Lopez Santos, 42, of Yakima, was found by a hunter near the Buckshot Wildlife Access Area on Oct. 16. Lopez Santos was Aguilar Aguilar’s girlfriend when she died.

Investigators reportedly discovered four 9mm shell casings and a bullet jacket near Lopez Santos’ body, according to a previous Columbia Basin Herald report.

Police reportedly discovered a 9mm handgun in Aguilar Aguilar’s bedroom, along with cowboy boots and a purse, both of which reportedly had blood stains on them. The purse allegedly matched a purse Lopez Santos was seen with at one time. Lopez Santos was reported missing from Yakima on Oct. 15, after previously telling her family members she was going to the Tri-Cities with a friend.

When Aguilar Aguilar was arrested on Oct. 29, 2012 Lopez Santos’ cellphone was reportedly found in his vehicle. Aguilar Aguilar allegedly kept the phone and spoke with Lopez Santos’ family members and friends in a series of calls when they tried to reach her.

He reportedly said Lopez Santos went to Mexico with her boyfriend and allegedly threatened one of her coworkers, stating he would shoot the person if they didn’t “mind their own business.” He allegedly told a few of the people who called the phone he didn’t know who Lopez Santos was and said he found the phone in a Walmart parking lot, according to the Herald.