Judge Delays Boy’s Murder Arraignment

A Wednesday murder arraignment for a 16-year-old Fillmore boy was delayed until Feb. 4--against the objection of a prosecutor who said gang friends of the suspect have threatened key witnesses.

Judge Allan L. Steele appointed a new attorney to represent Armando Murillo, who will be tried as an adult, and granted the delay to give the lawyer time to prepare for court.

Steele said the extra time was needed in order for attorney James M. Farley of Ventura to review court and police records in the case.

Murillo is charged with murder in connection with the stabbing death of Rodolfo Molina Mora, 27. The victim died after an altercation with the defendant in the 700 block of Blaine Street in Fillmore on Dec. 11.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Michael K. Frawley argued against delaying the arraignment. The prosecutor described Murillo as a gang member and said the boy’s associates have made numerous threats to the people who witnessed the Mora stabbing.

One of Murillo’s friends pleaded guilty in juvenile court on Tuesday to witness intimidation in connection with the case, Frawley told the judge.

Outside court, Frawley said the only person so far charged with intimidating a witness is that juvenile. He declined to discuss the specifics of that case because of the age of the defendant, and would not specify what threats were made.

However, Frawley did say of the witnesses: “Everyone feels incredibly intimidated because of the defendants’ friends.”

Investigators in the case could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

Murillo, who is being detained at Juvenile Hall, stood at the defense table next to attorney Joel B. Steinfeld, who appeared on Farley’s behalf.

Steinfeld told Steele the defense needed the extra time because it had not yet read police reports or the grand jury transcript in the case.

Reached later, Farley said the judge made the right decision in granting the delay. He also said Murillo cannot be making the threats because he is behind bars.

“Obviously it’s not my client doing any intimidation--he’s in jail,” Farley said. “If my client is not doing it, how is it accomplishing anything by not allowing an attorney to prepare for a case.

“This is a murder case,” Farley said. “The case has to be investigated. It has to be looked at. I’m sorry if there are problems on the street, but that’s for law enforcement to look at.”

Deputy Public Defender Stephen P. Lipson, who represented Murillo when the case was still in juvenile court, said he saw no evidence that his former client was a gang member.

“The problem is everyone is lumped into the same category,” Lipson said. “Every Mexican kid in Fillmore is called a gang member. Every black kid in South-Central L.A. is called a gang member.”

Still, Lipson said he can believe that some of the witnesses in the case are feeling uneasy. But he blamed that on “the code” of the streets.

“The code is you don’t cooperate with the police,” he said. “A lot of people might be afraid. But to somehow place that on the back of a 16-year-old is to give him more credit than is due.”