Opening arguments are set to begin in the jury trial of 34-year-old Mercedes resident Fidencio Castillo Cosme, who was charged with murder in the stabbing death of a teenager.
Fidencio, who was charged alongside his brother, Juan Jose Cosme, 37, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The brothers were arrested Sept. 28, 2020, and accused of stabbing 16-year-old Armando Torres IV to death.
Attorneys representing Fidencio and prosecutors picked a jury Tuesday afternoon and opening arguments are scheduled to begin Wednesday afternoon.
Details of the accusations against the men have been limited since their arrests. Former Mercedes police Chief Dagoberto “Dago” Chavez refused to speak to the newspaper about the arrests.
An effort to obtain the probable cause affidavits against the men also failed because the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office secured a favorable opinion from the Texas Attorney General’s Office saying the documents could be withheld from public disclosure because Torres was a minor.
Juan has also pleaded not guilty to the charge.
This is the first major jury trial to occur at the courthouse since the onset of the pandemic.
