Marcial Rodriguez Lopes faces a fall jury trial in connection with the stabbing death of a roommate last June.

Friday, April 21, 2000

Marcial Rodriguez Lopes faces a fall jury trial in connection with the stabbing death of a roommate last June.

Lopes will go on trial Sept. 11, according to Mower County Attorney Patrick A. Oman.

Lopes, 22, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges March 24 in Mower County Third Judicial District Court.

He was charged after the June 13 stabbing death of Jose Luis Castillo at 104 Third Ave. SE.

Eyewitnesses to the stabbing identified Lopes as the assailant, according to the criminal complaint filed by Austin Police Detective Tom Stiehm.

The stabbing occurred after the pair argued over a card game and girlfriend.

Lopes left the scene of the crime, but was captured later hiding in a southwest Austin garage.

At the time of his arrest, Lopes was using the name Angelito Doroteo Munoz. He and the victim, as well as the eyewitnesses to the crime, were illegal aliens from Mexico living and working in Austin.

Not until an omnibus hearing was held in February was it revealed that the defendant’s real name is Lopes.

Lopes is being represented by Joseph Bueltel, a public defender from Owatonna. Bueltel has been assisted on the case by Evan H. Larson, an Austin attorney.

Oman is handling the prosecution duties and District Judge Donald Rysavy will preside over the trial.

Lopes, who has remained in the Mower County Jail since his arrest last June, does not speak or understand English. He is being assisted by a certified court interpreter.