Arturo Navarrete-Portillo’s nine-day murder trial will begin on Feb. 16, 2016 — exactly one year after he rear-ended a cattle truck and told emergency workers en route to the hospital that he had killed his wife.
Maria Portillo-Amaya’s body was discovered in their Carbondale home later the same day. Her death was ultimately ruled a homicide, with the cause of death listed as .
Navarrete-Portillo, 46, pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder on Wednesday. Speedy trial laws would typically have required the trial take place by Feb. 12, but Navarrete-Portillo agreed to extend the deadline to accommodate what Deputy Public Defender Elise Myer described as “hectic schedules” for both the state and the defense.
Navarrete-Portillo will next appear in court on Dec. 21 for a one-day hearing on any pretrial motions.
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