GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The murder trial for the suspect in drug debt murder – which resulted in a body being burned and left on the UW-Green Bay campus – was delayed Wednesday for a second time.
Pedro Santiago-Marquez is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and being party to mutilating a corpse in connection with the Sept. 27 murder of Jason Mendez-Ramos.
Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed Mendez-Ramos because Santiago-Marquez owed Mendez-Ramos $80,000 for a cocaine deal. Rather than pay Mendez-Ramos, Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed him, the criminal complaint alleges. Mendez-Ramos’ burned body was later found on the edge of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus.
The trial was originally scheduled for April 18, but because all of the evidence wasn’t gathered, it was delayed until July 18.
But in court Wednesday, attorneys for both the state and defense agreed a delay was appropriate. Neither District Attorney David Lasee nor defense attorney Heather Richmond offered specifics on exactly why both sides said there are benefits for the postponement.
A new trial date of Sept. 12 was picked. The trial is scheduled for five days.
According to the criminal complaints, Santiago-Marquez owned an east side business. Mendez-Ramos, Alexander Burgos-Mojica and Jeisaac Rodriguez-Garcia all currently or previously worked for Santiago-Marquez.
A witness told police Santiago-Marquez owed Mendez-Ramos $80,000 for a cocaine deal. Rather than pay Mendez-Ramos, Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed him, the complaint claims.
Mendez-Ramos’ body was dumped on the edge of the UWGB campus and set on fire. Security videos, cellphone tracking information and DNA tie Rodriguez-Garcia to that scene, according to the criminal complaints.
Burgos-Mojica is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 1. Rodriguez-Garcia has a status conference July 25.
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