Everett shooting trial on hold while police look for witness
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, November 21, 2018
EVERETT — A trial over a shooting at an Everett park might not proceed as planned after a key witness didn’t show up to court Friday.
Jose Espinoza Aguilar, whose street name is “Danger,” has been at the Snohomish County Jail since October 2017. Now 25, he’s awaiting trial on a charge of first-degree assault.
Prosecutors allege that he shot a woman in the back at Langus Riverfront Park in January 2017. The woman then was dropped off at the hospital with injuries that left her paralyzed.
The woman has said she was the victim of domestic violence. Espinoza Aguilar reportedly told others the shooting was spurred by a dispute involving drugs and money.
The woman, now 23, didn’t appear for Friday’s hearing, according to public records. A $5,000 arrest warrant was issued to find her and bring her in for future court dates.
A follow-up hearing is set for Wednesday in Superior Court.
Espinoza Aguilar’s bail remains at $500,000. Last month, a judge declined his request to be released on house arrest.
His co-defendant, Jorge Martinez, pleaded guilty last year.
Martinez, then 27, was sentenced to a little more than two years for the conviction of second-degree kidnapping. He was accused of driving the woman to meet Espinoza Aguilar when she thought she was getting a ride home.
The woman told police she was running away from the men when she was struck by the bullet and dropped to the ground. Months later, doctors reported that she had regained some mobility and could walk with assistance.
After the shooting, Espinoza Aguilar fled to Yakima and then Oklahoma, where he eventually surrendered. His vehicle was found in Yakima, reportedly with the woman’s blood inside.
It was the third time in as many years that Espinoza Aguilar was linked to a shooting in Snohomish County.
He claimed self-defense when he fatally shot a man in Everett in 2015. He was convicted of illegal gun possession.
He also allegedly was at a Meadowdale-area home shortly before a drug-related robbery and homicide in November 2016, court papers show.
That investigation is ongoing.
