Two brothers charged in connection with the murder of a missing Coalinga woman made their first court appearances Wednesday in connection with the case.
Alejandro SorianoOrtiz, 45, of Coalinga and his brother, Celestino SorianoOrtiz, 40, of Santa Maria, were arrested shortly after a body believed to be Isabel LucasVelasco, 50, was discovered in an area off Highway 198 west of Coalinga.
According to the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, LucasVelasco was last seen at a job site in rural Arroyo Grande on Sept. 12.
Alejandro SorianoOrtiz is reportedly her ex-boyfriend. He is charged with murder, arson for allegedly setting the victim’s vehicle on fire, submitting a false insurance claim and making a fake U.S. Permanent Resident Card, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint shows Celestino SorianoOrtiz is facing a felony charge of being an accessory to murder, having knowledge of the crime and helping his brother “with the intent that he might avoid and escape from arrest, trial, conviction, and punishment for said felony.” A misdemeanor charge of possessing a controlled substance, identified in court documents as methamphetamine, was also filed.
Both men appeared for arraignment in a San Luis Obispo courtroom Wednesday morning, one alongside an interpreter, but their hearings were continued to Oct. 30. They did not enter pleas.
The sheriff's office has also received immigration detainers for Alejandro and Celestino SorianoOrtiz, according to a sheriff's spokesperson, who told KSBY: "Under California Law, specifically the California Values Act (SB 54), local law enforcement is prohibited from detaining individuals on the basis of an immigration detainer."
SB 54 does allow notification of release to ICE "if an individual has qualifying charges or prior convictions, current qualifying convictions, or federal arrest warrants," according to the spokesperon, who says violent crimes, including murder and arson, are qualifying offenses.
The spokesperson adds that if either man is convicted and sentenced in San Luis Obispo County, the sheriff's office would comply with ICE upon request after the sentence has been served.
Jail logs show the brothers remain in custody at the San Luis Obispo County Jail and are being held without bail.
