The trial date for a National City man accused of shooting Jesus Degalilea Pena 30 times in 2013 has been moved to July 18.
Manuel Joseph Castro, 50, who is also known as Joseph Castro, waived his right to have a speedy trial in Chula Vista Superior Court and the March 14 trial date was vacated. His brother, Henry Paul Castro, 49, will also stand trial with him on a charge of being an accessory after the fact.
An autopsy showed that Pena had 30 gunshot wounds and his body was discovered in the parking lot in the 1500 block of Sweetwater Road in National City, according to court records. Pena was shot at 5:30 p.m. on March 23, 2013 in front of a dumpster, east of the Carl’s Jr. Restaurant and west of the Hanaoka’s Japanese Restaurant.
Both men were ordered to stand trial in 2015 after separate preliminary hearings. There were several witnesses who heard the rifle shoots including people in nearby restaurants. Detectives testified about what people told them.
Pena lived not far from the Castro brothers in National City. Manuel Castro fled the country afterwards and was not arrested until June 28, 2015 by Mexican authorities. He worked at a store in Chula Vista, but fled without picking up his last check.
A witness told police Manuel Castro tried to sell a rifle to a pawn shop, but the sale did not go through before he left. The rifle was not found. His car was found in Chula Vista.
Both Manuel and Henry Castro remain in jail on $1 million and $200,000 bail respectively. Both have pleaded not guilty.
