Mariachi waives hearing in gun case
By Sue Lindsay, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Published February 8, 2008 at 12:30 a.m.
A gun-toting mariachi accused of holding a gun on a musician who wanted to quit his band waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Denver County Court on Thursday.
Plea negotiations are under way in which Alvaro Alvarado- Amarias would plead guilty to a reduced charge of menacing. He is due back in court March 17.
Leonardo "Fidel" Berrelleza, the name he gave to police, is an alias, said Lynn Kimbrough, spokeswoman for the Denver District Attorney's Office.
Alvarado-Amarias, 31, was arrested Jan. 5 on charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, menacing and assault for holding Ervey Ruiz, 52, at gunpoint for five hours, threatening to kill him because Ruiz told him he was joining another band.
For the past several years, Alvarado-Amarias has led Toros de la Sierra, a three-man mariachi group. Ruiz said he decided to leave because drinking was a higher priority with his bandmates than practicing their music.
Featured
-
DNC in Denver
Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
-
The Crevasse
A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.
-
Deadly denial
Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.
-
Final Salute
The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.
-
'Colorado's burning'
Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.
-
Columbine shootings
Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.
-
The Crossing
Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.
-
Osveli's journey
Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.
-
Wake for an Indian warrior
Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.
