Washington Man Involved in 2015 Death to Stand Trial

MOUNT VERNON (AP) — A Washington man charged in connection of a teen's death in 2015 is scheduled to stand trial.

The Skagit Valley Herald reports 18-year-old Saul Cruz-Garcia's trial will beginning next week. The Burlington man is charged in connection with 17-year-old Gage Bruce's death.

Cruz-Garcia has pleaded not guilty.

A Skagit County judge says pretrial hearings are set for Monday. The jury selection is expected to start Tuesday.

Cruz-Garcia was arrested July 2016. Prosecutors are not accusing him of killing Bruce. Instead, they say he helped organize the shooting. They do not think Bruce was the intended target.

In April, Cruz-Garcia's attorney asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that her client's due process had been violated since prosecutors did not specify who Cruz-Garcia had conspired with. The court denied the motion.