Proceedings will be slightly delayed for one defendant in the Jesus Avila murder case following a motions hearing in Lyon County District Court Wednesday morning.
During the hearing, Lyon County Chief Judge Merlin Wheeler approved a motion from attorney Charles O’Hara to withdraw from the case. O’Hara was serving as legal counsel for Samuel Garcia who was the sixth individual to be charged in connection to the 2017 murder of Avila.
It was stated that O’Hara had filed the motion due to “irreconcilable differences” that would prevent him from continuing in the case. O’Hara says his decision to withdraw came after a meeting with Garcia Tuesday.
O’Hara stated the issue stemmed from “something that was said that cannot be resolved,” however, he would not offer further specifics saying he did not want to “cause any damage to the defendant.”
A preliminary hearing set for Apr. 4 will now be delayed as Wheeler granted Garcia 30-days to secure new representation. Garcia will return to district court on Friday, Apr. 28 for a review hearing at 3 pm.
Garcia is facing first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and other charges. The first-degree murder charge carries a penalty of life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years if he’s convicted.
