A May 16 trial date has been set for Martin Joseph Foster, 54, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend in a homeless encampment near Saturn Boulevard in Nestor.
Foster has pleaded not guilty to the Aug. 4, 2015, slaying of Cheri Casey, 61, who was beaten to death. She was also known as Cheri Dillon-Casey.
San Diego Police found the victim’s body while doing a welfare check in the 600 block of Saturn Boulevard which was near a Boll Weevil restaurant parking lot and a shopping center.
Dr. Abubakr Marzouk performed the autopsy and he testified in the preliminary hearing that the victim died of multiple blunt force traumas. Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Francis Devaney ordered Foster to stand trial for murder after hearing from six other witnesses including security guards.
On Tuesday, Deputy District Attorney Christina Arrollado said the motive for the crime has not been discussed in open court. Foster is from Colorado, but he may have been living in the area for a while. Foster remains in the George Bailey Detention Facility on $3 million bail.
