Homicide trial delayed in Merced County

A jury trial was postponed Tuesday in Merced for two men charged with killing another man last year during a suspected marijuana robbery.

Frankie L. Hicks, 22, and Emilio S. Virgen, 19, have pleaded not guilty to murder in the shooting death of Casey Desalles, according to Merced Superior Court records.

Desalles, 37, was found dead Feb. 24, 2014, at his home in the 19000 block of Sixth Avenue in Stevinson, according to the Merced County Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies said Desalles was killed during an apparent marijuana robbery. Investigators said he was shot and also struck with a hatchet.

Hicks and Virgen, both of Crows Landing, were arrested in late March 2014 and indicted in the case.

Williams Davis, the attorney representing Hicks, on Tuesday asked Judge Mark V. Bacciarini for more time to prepare for trial.

“We have a temporary overload of serious cases right now, and we simply need more time to be ready for this one,” Davis said later.

Davis was appointed to represent Hicks through Merced Defense Associates, a group of attorneys who handle court-appointed defense cases when the Merced County Public Defender’s Office has a conflict.

Bacciarini granted the request over the objection of Thomas Min, the Merced County deputy district attorney prosecuting the case. Min said prosecutors were ready to proceed with the trial.

Both defendants are due back in court Sept. 1 for another hearing. Jury selection is scheduled to begin Sept. 22, according to court records.

Hicks and Virgen remain in custody without bail at the Merced County jail.

This story was originally published May 26, 2015 at 4:43 PM with the headline "Homicide trial delayed in Merced County."