Jury Selection Underway for Trio Accused in Teen's Murder

Jury selection for the defendants’ trial originally began in March, but was halted several weeks later after an appellate court interceded on behalf of the trio’s attorneys, who had sought a suspension in trial proceedings because, they argued, there had been insufficient time to prepare.

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• Trial to Begin for Trio Accused in Hemet Teen’s Murder
• Jury Selection Suspended for Trio Accused in Teen’s Murder

Prospective jurors were dismissed at that point, and the trial was postponed to late May. Jury selection began again Monday, and between then and Wednesday, 500 prospects were summoned to the courtroom of Riverside County Superior Court Judge Angel Bermudez for initial screening as to their availability and qualifications.

Jury selection is expected to continue until the end of the month.

Zavala is being held without bail at the Southwest Detention Center in Murrieta. Siordia and Venegas are being held at Murrieta Juvenile Hall.

Zavala is facing the death penalty if convicted; his co-defendants, who were minors at the time of the crime, are facing life in prison without parole.

The victim was stabbed nine to 10 times near the intersection of Acacia Avenue and Cherrywood Drive, only a couple of blocks from his home. Sheriff’s investigators allege the defendants were walking to a liquor store when they spotted the boy alone, talking or texting on his phone.

The threesome confronted him, demanding that he hand over the device, but he refused, at which point Zavala pulled a seven-inch kitchen knife and began slashing and stabbing the victim, witnesses and investigators have alleged.

The youth was stabbed twice in the upper chest and had a number of defensive wounds. He collapsed into a gutter after the attack, and passers-by came to his aid. The alleged assailants fled but were identified and tracked down within a couple of days.

The teen lived another five hours and was able to briefly speak with detectives prior to going into surgery, which he did not survive, according to Deputy District Attorney Dan DeLimon.

The defendants are all distantly related. During interviews with detectives, Siordia and Venegas both pointed to Zavala as the alleged aggressor in the attack and claimed they were not aware of what he planned to do, according to the prosecution.

Court records show Zavala has a 2011 conviction for burglary and a 2010 conviction for vandalism.