http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... adrage.txt

Judge Eyes September for Road Rage Trial
This article was published on Thursday, January 18, 2007 7:49 PM CST in News
By Robin Mero
The Morning News

BENTONVILLE -- A trial in the May road rage shooting death of a Rogers man should be conducted by September -- but a date isn't set, Benton County Senior Circuit Judge Tom Keith said Thursday.

An omnibus hearing planned Thursday was reset to March 9.

Three people face felony charges in the May 6 death of Daniel Ray Francis, 32, of Rogers. Francis, a diesel mechanic who had just finished work on a Saturday afternoon, was a passenger in a car driven by his co-worker northbound on U.S. 71B. Three shots were fired at the car and one bullet struck Francis in the back of his head, police said.

Francis died two days later after being removed from life support that allowed organ donation.

Serafin Sandoval-Vega, 19, a resident alien of the United States, is accused of shooting and killing Francis. Sandoval-Vega is charged with capital murder and committing a terroristic act, and prosecutors said they intend to seek the death penalty.

The death penalty is also sought against Manuel Enrique Camacho, 26, whom police believe drove that day and encouraged Sandoval-Vega to pull the trigger. Camacho is charged with being an accomplice to capital murder and accomplice to a terroristic act. He is an illegal immigrant, according to court documents.
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Roxana Hernandez, 22, is charged with being an accomplice to capital murder and an accomplice to a terroristic act. Prosecutors could seek a life sentence in her case. She is a resident alien.

Camacho's court-appointed attorney, Tim Buckley, filed a stack of motions before Thursday's hearing, most addressing concerns about the death penalty and jury selection process.

Prosecutor Van Stone said his office awaits major pieces of evidence from the Arkansas State Crime Lab. Those include reports comparing a gun found in Camacho's car with bullet fragments taken from the car in which Francis was riding -- and tests of the defendants' clothing.

Those should be completed within four to six weeks, Stone estimated.

Sandoval-Vega was accompanied Thursday by his attorneys, Public Defender Jay Saxton and Llewellyn Marczuk of the Arkansas Public Defender Commission.

Hernandez's attorney is Marianne Hudson, a conflicts attorney with the Public Defender Commission.

According to court documents, Francis and his co-worker had stopped to purchase beer after work on May 6. The beers remained unopened.

The co-worker, Tracy Stith, pulled north into traffic on U.S. 71B. A black Honda Civic came from behind and pulled close. After a confrontation in traffic, the tinted rear window on the Honda's driver's side went down and the back-seat passenger stuck out a gun and fired shots, Stith told police.

He followed the Honda long enough to get the license plate number and call 911. Bentonville police pulled over the Honda later that evening.

Camacho was driving; Hernandez rode in the passenger seat and Sandoval-Vega in the back seat.

Sandoval-Vega admitted shooting at the Acura. He claimed Hernandez handed him the gun and the others encouraged him to shoot.

Hernandez and Camacho admitted being the passenger and driver of the car, respectively, but told police they didn't know Sandoval-Vega intended to shoot anyone.

Immediately following the shooting, the trio stopped at Wal-Mart and purchased more ammunition, police said.