Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1916-04-13
SEPARATE TRIAL
FOR CONFESSED
SLAYER LIKELY
t Court Grants Severance
Rodriguez, Rocha and j.
minez viii Face Court in
Group and Medina Alone,

/ Tho trial of the case of the state
versus Jose Medina, Guadalupe Rocha,
| Anastacio Jiminez ana Angelo Rod
liguez, accused Of the murder of Jose
! ~ Chavez at San Jose. will begin be-
! fore Judge Herbert + Raynolds In
the district court today. The work Of
emp0nelling y jury will begin this
morning and probably will require
several hours.
In order that the accused men may
have ample legal defense, Judge Ray
holds Yesterday appointed city Attor-
ney Thomas n. Wilkerson as addi-
tional counsel for them. The court
had previously appointed w. \. kel-
cher, who represented the men at the
, preliminary hearing and later secur-
! ed their release on habeas corpus.
Mr. Wilkerson is an acknowledged
expert in criminal law and has par
! ticipated in many important trials il,
this and adjoining counties. The fact
that he has consented to accept the
appointment Of the court and give his
advice and assistance in the defense
Of Medina, Rocha, Jiminez and Rod
riguez Is additional assurance that the
legal battle viii be well directed from
the standpoint of the defendants.
May Ask Severance.
II is understood that counsel for
the defendants will ask "A severance
on their behalf. If granted by the
court, it is likely that Rocha. Jiminez
and Rodriguez viii be tried together
and Medina will stand trial separate
IT,
Jose n. Chavez was a saloon keeper
at San Jose One Friday night sew
eral weeks ago he was called from the
saloon by Jiminez. a peddler of flow
ers, who told Under Sheriff Dick
Lewis afterward that he wished To
speak TO Chavez about an order for
flowers. Chavez did not return to the
saloon. A san Jose man saw him
shortly afterward walking north.
The following Sunday morning the
body of Chavez was found IN the
brick yard north Of San Jose and he
tween that village and the city. AM
arm sticking up from the shallow
grave showed searchers whore the
body lay If the body had been
buried more carefully it is question
able how much time would have pass
ed before definite knowledge that the
saloon Keeper was murdered came to
light; perhaps the fact never would
have been known positively.
Arrested Third Time.
The four MeNicans. who viii 20 to
trial, were arrested the day the body
was found but released following the
inquest. the coroners jury not charg
Ing any one with the guilt. Later
they were rearrested on warrants is
sued by Justice Pedro Tartaglia, OF
the San Jose precinct, but Mr.. kele-
her, appointed by the district court 70
defend them, procured their release
through habeas corpus proceedings.
The third arrest of the four came
shortly after the grand jury visited |
the house which Rodriguez had occu- |
pied ut the time Of the murder Me- /
dina and Rocha lived with him. The
arrest was due 10 the finding of
Chavez shoes his metal pencil and /
an iron bar under the house. Prof. I
John ID, Clark, city chemist said there
were traces of human blood on the
bar
Medina later confessed to killing
Chavez. saying at that time that he
was alone in the assault. The motive,
according to Medina, was a quarrel I
over debt of rs cents. Chavez came
to Rodriguez homo, but Medina met
him outside and none of the others
picked up an iron bar. lying outside
The Rodriguez house, He and Chavez
then walked toward the brick yard,
which Is not far from the house.
They were still pickering over the 20
,ents, asserted Medina.
Showed Where He Buried Weapon.
Chavez had challenged him pre-
fiously, he said, and in the brick yard 4
lie saloon keeper came toward him,
according to Medina. He said he
gaze Chavez no chance TO hit him. but I,
ell him with the bar. He struck Il
'hayeZ twice as he lay on the ground i
md then buried him. said Medina.
Medina took chief MeMillin ana Il
'atrolman Pablo Lujan TO the place
where he buried tho iron bar 1t was
Tot far from Chavez grave. Lujan
lug where Medina directed and un-
overed the bar. The bar. which was
ound under the house, has not been
with the murder by any
estimony, although the city chemist
declared II WAS stained with human
Hood.
When the four Mexicans were ar
aligned before Judge Reynolds In the
district court Medina pleaded guilty
o murder in the first degree. Ow
ng TO the fact that this would sure
Y send him to the gallows Judge Ray
olds refused to accept the plea and
plea of not guilty was entered for
i'm. Tho other three pleaded not