Police have arrested six suspects in connection with the January 2007 beating homicide of a 39-year-old Hollister man on Park Hill and have alleged it was carried out in retaliation against the victim for acting as a witness to another crime.
Five of the suspects are juveniles. The sixth suspect is 22-year-old Conrad A. Copado, who is in state prison on a separate conviction. All of the suspects are being charged as adults at the San Benito County Courthouse, according to Deputy District Attorney Patrick Palacios, who is overseeing the case.
They are accused in the Jan. 4, 2011 assault on Mark Arballo, who suffered injuries to his head and face. Arballo succumbed to his injuries in early February.
One of the suspects was arraigned Thursday and entered a plea of not guilty, while the others have yet to enter respective pleas, Palacios said.
Authorities are alleging it was a gang-related crime that was coordinated as retaliation against Arballo, the prosecutor said.
Palacios said the suspects include Copado; a 17-year-old male who was 16 at the time of the crime; a 16-year-old male who was 15 at the time, while police allege he “personally killed” the victim; another 16-year-old who was 15 then; and two 17-year-old females who were 16 at the time.
They are all charged with first-degree murder along with other felonies.
They are each held at the San Benito County Jail on bail set at $1.5 million.
Look back for more, including information on the juvenile suspects charged as adults.
