YUMA, Ariz. — Three men accused of a drive-by shooting that killed an 18-year-old in Yuma this spring are back in local custody and due in court next week.
Julius Johnson, 19, Moises Murillo, 18, and Antwan Yancey, 19, are each charged with first-degree murder, drive-by shooting, participating in a criminal street gang, and aggravated assault, KYMA reported. Police said the three were arrested in the Phoenix area in May in the April 26 shooting that killed Valentin Morales, 18. A case-management conference is set for Oct. 8.
A case-management conference is an early Superior Court date. It is where lawyers and the judge set the pace of a case — discovery, motions, and whether a trial date is realistic — not where guilt is decided. First-degree murder and drive-by shooting are among the most serious counts in Arizona’s criminal code. A gang allegation, if proved, can add penalties on top of the underlying crimes. Aggravated assault covers people who were shot at or hurt and survived. Charging documents do not, by themselves, say how many other victims police believe there were.
The defendants’ ages put the case in the adult system. All three are 18 or 19. Morales was 18. Yuma police have not, in the latest courthouse update, restated a motive or described the vehicle. Those facts usually sit in the police report that prosecutors turn over before the October hearing.
Moving the men from Phoenix-area jails back to Yuma is what lets the local case proceed in person. Until they were returned, hearings risked being delayed by transport. Their presence does not mean a plea is close. Murder cases in Arizona counties often run many months between the first management conference and a trial, especially when three defendants are charged together and may end up with separate lawyers and separate strategies.
The Oct. 8 date is the next public checkpoint. Anything said in open court that day — a new count, a request for a delay, or a fight over evidence — will matter more than the booking sheet that brought them home.