Trial ordered in Yuba City killing

Three alleged Norteños gang members — two Yuba City brothers and an Olivehurst man — were ordered to stand trial on first-degree murder charges Friday.

Sutter County Judge H. Ted Hansen scheduled a Nov. 17 arraignment for Armando Guadalupe Rojo, 18, and his 15-year-old brother, David Guadalupe Rojo, and Jorge Luis Lopez, 19.

The three are charged in the Labor Day shooting death of 15-year-old Francisco Prior at Bridge Street and West Onstott Frontage Road. They face possible life sentences.

Bail is set at $1.5 million for each defendant. Armando Rojo and Lopez are being held in Sutter County Jail. David Rojo, who is being tried as an adult, is being held at Bi-County Juvenile Hall in Marysville.

According to testimony Thursday, the defendants and a fourth man, Jake Avery, were in the parking lot of Little Caesar's Pizza, 1410 Bridge St., the morning of Sept. 1 in Armando Rojo's Honda Civic when they spotted members of the rival Sureños gang at a service station next door.

Avery, who is not charged, said he and the others followed the Sureños van around a corner onto Bridge Street, catching up to it around West Onstott Frontage Road.

While both vehicles were stopped alongside each other, Lopez and David Rojo began firing, hitting the van multiple times and killing Prior, who was in the front passenger seat, Avery testified.

Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Rob Young at 749-4710 or at ryoung@appealdemocrat.com.