Pair Plead Not Guilty in Slayings at Tavern
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Two brothers accused of killing two men and wounding a third in a Glendale tavern last month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murder charges.
Rodolfo Marquez, 21, and Manuel Marquez, 25, both of Atwater, each are charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in the Nov. 24 shooting at the Rustic Inn in the 4500 block of San Fernando Road. A third man, Constancio Villagrana, 25, of Bell, pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
If convicted, the brothers could be sentenced to death or to life in prison without parole, prosecutors said. The death penalty may be invoked for a murder conviction with special circumstances of multiple murders.
Prosecutors said they believe Rodolfo Marquez shot the men, apparently in retaliation for a fistfight earlier that evening, as his brother and Villagrana looked on. A preliminary hearing for the men is scheduled for Jan. 16 in Glendale Municipal Court.
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