New Judge Sought in Murder Case
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The arraignment of Jose “Pepe” Castillo on charges of murdering Santa Paula store clerk Mirna Regollar was postponed Thursday after his lawyer sought to excuse the judge for an alleged conflict of interest.
Superior Court Judge James Cloninger was a district attorney in 1993 during the investigation into the fatal stabbing of 17-year-old Jesse Strobel, a crime to which Castillo pleaded guilty.
Castillo’s attorney, Robert Willey, suggested that Cloninger’s employment by the Ventura County district attorney’s office at that time “may rise to the level of conflict of interest” in the Regollar case and asked the judge to excuse himself.
Cloninger said he would consider Willey’s argument and make a ruling at the next arraignment date Sept. 3. Castillo, 21, admitted in Juvenile Court on Wednesday to a petition charging him with Strobel’s slaying.
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