She pleaded no contest in case linked to man's slaying
BY MARIA INES ZAMUDIO • The Salinas Californian • February 14, 2009

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A woman accused of interfering with a homicide investigation last year has pleaded no contest to conspiracy to obstruct justice, Monterey County prosecutors said Friday.




Maria DeAndrade, 26, of Wasco, was accused of attempting to dissuade neighbors from cooperating with law enforcement officials as they probed the slaying of Jose Nicolas Zarate, 38.


Last April, Zarate's body - he'd been shot in the head - was found in the trunk of a car near Gonzales. He had been kidnapped in Wasco, about 162 miles away. His wife, Marisela Zarate Andrade, and another man, Sergio De La Cruz of Salinas, were later arrested on suspicion of his abduction and slaying. They face trial in June.


"As far as we know, she (DeAndrade) was not associated with the murder," Deputy District Attorney David Gross said.


DeAnrade is Zarate Andrade's sister-in-law.


When she is sentenced March 12, DeAnrade faces up to one year in county jail and up to three years of probation, Gross said.


According to jail records, however, DeAndrade is under an immigration hold and might be deported once she is released from custody.


Investigators said they found Zarate's body fatally shot inside the trunk of a car left in a vineyard off Sanchez Road.


http://www.thecalifornian.com/article/2 ... /902140305