Lawyers for man accused in 2018 double murder request plea hearing

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) - Attorneys for a man charged in connection with an alleged 2018 double murder are now asking for a plea hearing for their client.

Israel Palomino’s defense team filed the set for plea motion on September 23.

Palomino is facing two counts of capital murder and one count of possession of a controlled substance. The trial was scheduled for December 5, 2022. According to online court documents, Palomino intends to enter a guilty plea to two counts of murder amended from the previous capital murder charges.

His charges stem from the deaths of 13-year-old Mariah Lopez and her grandmother, Oralia Mendoza. The deaths are also allegedly connected to the Mexican drug cartel.

Palomino and another man, Yoni Aguilar, are accused of beheading Lopez after she witnessed the two men kill her grandmother in June 2018.

Aguilar is scheduled to be in court on May 1, 2023.