Crime & Safety
Preliminary Hearing Delayed for Husband of Homicide Victim
The hearing will determine whether there is enough evidence to order a trial in the death of a 38-year-old Carlsbad woman.
A preliminary hearing has been rescheduled to March 30 for the estranged husband of a woman whose body was found in a burned-out car last year in a parking lot on UC San Diego’s campus.
Julio Angel Garcia-Puente, 50, is charged with murder and arson in the death of Lorena Gonzalez, 38. The preliminary hearing was initially scheduled for today, but a prosecution witness was unavailable.
Prosecutors allege that Garcia killed his wife, a Carlsbad resident, on Oct. 30, before she was found in a burning car off Voigt Drive near Genesee. Autopsy results determined the woman was a homicide victim. The autopsy results are sealed and prosecutors have not revealed the cause of death.
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Garcia faces 26 years to life in prison if convicted, said Deputy District Attorney Nicole Rooney.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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