Hearing Set for Ramirez in Mission Viejo Case

Amid heavy courtroom security Friday, a July 14 preliminary hearing was set for Night Stalker suspect Richard Ramirez on charges of rape and attempted murder in Orange County.

Ramirez, who is charged with 14 murders in Los Angeles County, appeared before Central Municipal Judge B. Tam Nomoto in Santa Ana. He is accused of attacking a Mission Viejo couple on Aug. 25, 1985.

William R. Carns Jr., who was shot in the head three times, is still recovering.

Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. James G. Enright said Carns probably would not testify at Ramirez’s preliminary hearing because he has no memory of the incident. Enright said that Carns’ fiancee, who was raped, will be a witness.

Ramirez’s attorneys said later that the July hearing date does not mean that he will go to trial in Orange County first.

Ramirez, 26, is scheduled for trial in Los Angeles County on Sept. 30. Although that date may not be firm because defense lawyers have not completed their trial preparations, they said they saw no reason the Orange County case would cause any delays in the Los Angeles trial.

“We want to go ahead with the preliminary hearing here in Orange County and then see where we stand,” said Arturo Hernandez, one of two San Jose attorneys defending Ramirez. “For tactical reasons, we cannot rule out going to trial in Orange County first. But that’s not our plan right now.”

Will Seek Change of Venue

Arturo Hernandez and his co-counsel, Daniel Hernandez, said they will ask the Orange County court for a change of venue for Ramirez’s Orange County case. They made a similar change of venue motion in Los Angeles County but were turned down.

Spectators in Nomoto’s courtroom Friday had to walk through a metal detector before entering. Security measures also included three deputy sheriffs who accompanied Ramirez, six deputy marshals who stood throughout the proceedings with their eyes on the crowd, a bailiff and at least two non-uniformed police officers in the audience.

Enright said later that his office had received word that Ramirez had “popped off in jail that something might happen today.”

But Enright added: “I think it was all a big misunderstanding.”

Ramirez’s attorneys said they were unaware of any reports that their client had said anything.

“We just thought this was Orange County’s usual fine job of providing security,” said Daniel Hernandez.