Amaya double murder trial set for Sept. 19
Eagle County Jail |
An El Jebel man’s trial for double murder was scheduled Wednesday to begin Sept. 19 in Eagle.
Williams Amaya was initially scheduled to go to trial this week for the killing of his aunt and uncle, Mayra Lopez, 40, and Eliseo Lopez, 42. He is accused of shooting them to death July 12, 2014, in their home at Sopris Village, an El Jebel area subdivision.
Amaya, 35, also was charged with attempted murder for allegedly shooting at the Lopez’s’ two boys. They escaped the house without injury.
Amaya pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in January 2015. He has been held in Eagle County Jail since his arrest the day after the deaths.
The Fifth Judicial District Attorney’s Office sought a continuance so its experts could thoroughly examine mental evaluations of the suspect. He was examined at the Colorado Mental Health Institute in Pueblo. It took several months before a bed became available at the facility, so the resolution of the case has been delayed.
The trial is scheduled for as many as three weeks.
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