A fourth suspect in the murder of Jesus Avila will now be tried as an adult.
Armando Nunez waived his right to a hearing on the matter of certification as an adult and was officially certified Thursday afternoon during a hearing in Lyon County District Court. Nunez’s defense counsel Chris Biggs had previously advised the court that Nunez was willing to waive his right to hearing prior to Thursday’s proceedings.
Nunez, Jordy Cornejo-Campoverde, Andrew Granado and Jovan Pecina have all been certified as adults and will be tried as such if their cases go to trial. Pecina and Granado were both certified earlier this month while Cornejo-Campoverde was the only suspect in the case to be charged as an adult from the outset.
Alan Alanis is currently the only defendant to be tried as a juvenile, but prosecutors are working to get him certified as an adult for court proceedings.
Nunez will next appear in Lyon County District Court for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 8, 9 and 10.
All five were charged last month with a single count of first-degree murder with an alternate count of felony murder. They also face single counts of conspiracy to commit murder, aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, arson and interference with law enforcement.
Avila’s body was found in a burned-out vehicle near Roads 160 and T in early September 2017.
