Gilroy
– Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of
Paul Zapata, accused of killing a man outside a Gilroy 7-Eleven
store more than three years ago.
Zapata, now 23 and a former Hollister resident, is accused of
shooting to death Juan Miguel Trigueros, a 24-year-old student and
Soledad resident, in May 2001.
By Lori Stuenkel
Gilroy – Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the trial of Paul Zapata, accused of killing a man outside a Gilroy 7-Eleven store more than three years ago.
Zapata, now 23 and a former Hollister resident, is accused of shooting to death Juan Miguel Trigueros, a 24-year-old student and Soledad resident, in May 2001.
Trigueros was a student at Gilroy’s Center for Employment Training when a disabled car left him stranded in Gilroy. He was outside the 7-Eleven store on Leavesley and Murray avenues at about 2am on May 19, 2001, when he was allegedly confronted by Zapata. Police say that after words were exchanged, Zapata produced a handgun and shot Trigueros twice at close range, hitting him in the left shoulder and the chest.
Police believe the shooting was gang-related.
The court will start by deciding which jurors to exclude because of hardship. Many people cannot afford to serve on a jury because their employer will not pay for their time on jury duty, while the court pays only a few dollars per day served.
Jury selection is expected to take at least three days, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office.
Gilroy police detectives were preparing for the case Thursday. Opening statements and presentation of evidence are expected later next week.
Zapata, who has been serving prison time on unrelated charges, could be facing a sentence of 60 years to life in prison if he is found guilty: 25 years to life for a charge of first-degree murder, another 25 years to life because a gun was involved in the crime, and 10 years because the crime was gang-related, according to the DA’s office.
