What’s the status of Galveston County’s biggest court cases? In Galveston County there are many ongoing court cases. Here, we will update i45NOW viewers on a number of cases that are working their way through the court system. ••••• Santa Fe High Mass Shooting Civil Trial: While the criminal case against Santa Fe High School shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis remains delayed, a civil lawsuit filed against his parents was set for trial in late May. Some of the injured and the parents of those killed sued Pagourtzis’ parents, accusing them of negligence for allowing the then 17-year-old to have access to their guns. County Court No. 3 Judge Jack Ewing issued an order setting the pre-trial hearing for May 17 and the case will begin May 28. ••••• Lone Star Rally shooting on Strand in Galveston: Peddis Gene Ray, 20, was charged with 6 counts of Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon, in the Saturday, November 4 shooting at Lone Star Rally in Galveston. That night, 5 people were wounded. Ray was arrested by Galveston police the same night and given a bond total of $950,000. He remains in the custody of the Galveston County Jail. Ray will have a disposition setting on May 10, 2024, in the 212th District Court with Judge Patricia Grady. ••••• Christmas weekend shooting in Friendswood: Connor Hilton, 17, of Friendswood, was charged with the Murder of Ethan Riley, 18, and Aggravated Assault Causing Serious Bodily Injury to Ben Bilek, 20, on December 23, 2023. Hilton was arrested and taken into the custody of the Galveston County Jail, where he bonded out on a $1 million bond on January 3. He moved in with a relative in Harris County and was given a GPS monitoring device, as part of his bond conditions. Hilton was scheduled to appear for a status conference on April 4, 2024, but that was changed to May 27, 2024, in the 10th District Court with Judge Kerry Neves. ••••• Drunk driver kills 4 on golf cart in Galveston: Miguel Angel Espinoza, 46, was charged in the death of two kids and two adults, when he was crashed into their golf cart and killed them in Galveston. Among the 4 were Felipe Bentancur, 49, Destine Uvalle, 25, Brainy Cantu, 14, and Kaiser Bentancur, 4. Espinoza was charged with 4 counts of Intoxicated Manslaughter with a Vehicle and one count of Intoxicated Assault with a Vehicle with Serious Bodily Injury. Espinoza, who was out on bond, had it revoked on February 23, 2023, after he was illegally driving his son to school in Rosenberg. Driving was not allowed in his bond conditions. He will have a disposition conference on April 16, 2024, in the 10th District Court with Judge Kerry Neves. ••••• Stabbing death of Ukrainian man on Galveston’s East End: Armando Batista, 39, of Sugar Land, was charged in the stabbing death of Albert Tito, 73, on Galveston’s East End on January 17, 2023. Titov was a Ukrainian national who moved his family to Galveston. Batista was arrested by US Marshals on January 25, 2023. In his indictment there was an enchantment including his 2013 robbery conviction in Harris County. Batista will have a pre-trial conference on June 21, 2024. A jury trial is set for July 1, 2024, in the 122nd District Court with Judge Jeth Jones. ••••• 1983 Corvette Concepts Triple Murder: Jesse Dean Kersh, who was convicted and given 3 life sentences in the 1983 Corvette Concepts triple murder, filed for appeal on July 14, 2023. Kersh was convicted in the murder of Beth Wilburn, James Oatis and Thomas McGraw at the League City auto shop known as Corvette Concepts. A jury found him guilty on May 26, 2023, and he was sentenced on July 6, 2023. On August 7, 2023, Kersh and his new attorney Greg Russell motioned for a new trial. Kersh had Kevin Rekoff as his defense attorney for his trial, but has decided to go in another direction. The motion for the new trial was denied on August 11, 2023, by 122nd District Court Judge Jeth Jones. The latest update came on November 7, 2023, where Kersh and Russell requested the case notes and reporter’s record. ••••• Diamond Jim’s beating in Texas City: Two men, Dayton Booker and Taylor Requenes have already been convicted of Murder and received their prison sentences. Antonio Figueroa, Ashton Coleman and Christopher Gomez were the other 3 men charged, but have not yet faced trial. The five were charged in the beating death of Danny Sanders Sr. at Diamond Jim’s bar in Texas City on May 22, 2021.
 On April 10, 2024, Coleman will have a disposition conference, and both Figueroa and Gomez have disposition settings, in the 122nd District Court with Judge Jeth Jones. ••••• This story will be updated with more cases.

Posted by i45NOW Joey at 2024-03-25 18:14:42 UTC