Grand jury indicts Half Moon Bay suspect in farmworker shooting

The case drew attention not only for being such a uniquely disturbing event for the roughly 11,000-person coastal community, but it also triggered investigations into the already-vulnerable living conditions of many of the area’s farmworkers, which have since been described as “deplorable” and “substandard at best.” Officials have described the incident as a workplace-motivated shooting over the suspect’s perceived mistreatment. 

San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said the decision was made to move forward with the grand jury after continuous delays, in large part due to the defense attorneys’ need for additional time to prepare. While he understands the defense’s request, Wagstaffe said that, after a full year, the surviving victim and victims’ families deserve to see the case move forward. 

“The preliminary hearing was set in December, and the defense needed more time and more preparation, and their motion to continue the case was granted to March,” he said. “But it’s been a year, and we felt like the case was dragging and wanted it to move along … and the law gives us an alternative where we don’t have to wait for the other side to be ready.”

After hearing several days of evidence, the grand jury indicted the former farmworker for the same charges filed in the original felony complaint last year. Wagstaffe said the county’s decision to pursue a grand jury indictment usually occurs about once every year and is typically reserved for high-profile murder cases that are not moving along as anticipated. The next phase will be to set a jury trial date, and while it is unclear when the trial will occur, he said he hopes it can take place by the end of this year or early next. 

“I’m hopeful we can get this case to trial so the victims’ families can move on with their lives, because their lives are frozen right now,” he said. “What people forget often is, for the victims’ families and the surviving victim, who lost his brother, it’s a heavy weight on them. It’s always something that causes heartache. … I have never found a single case where the families were not disappointed at how long everything was taking and had trouble understanding why our system takes so long.”