The case of an illegal alien charged with 11 counts in the deaths of his girlfriend and her child could go to trial in December, nearly three-and-a-half years after the murders.
José Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 40, was living in Dadeville when investigators believe he murdered Sandra Vasquez Ceja and her son, Angel Omar Gallegos Vasquez, on July 24, 2022.
Ceja's 12-year-old daughter managed to escape the Dadeville trailer where her mom and brother were killed.
Court documents state the girl had been drugged and tied to a bedpost for over a week before she chewed through restraints and was later found wandering on the side of the road.
SEE: Gruesome details emerge in kidnapping, murder in Tallapoosa County
Police responded and discovered two dismembered, decomposing bodies.
According to the indictment, Pascual-Reyes is charged with three counts of capital murder during a first-degree kidnapping, two counts of capital murder during a rape, capital murder of two or more persons, capital murder of a person under the age of 14, two counts of capital murder of a parent in the presence of a child less than 14 years old and two counts of abuse of a corpse.
A Tallapoosa Grand Jury determined there was enough evidence to indict Pascual-Reyes for abducting Ceja and the girl to sexually abuse and/or terrorize them. The indictment stated that the suspect either raped or attempted to rape both Ceja and her daughter.
SEE ALSO: Dadeville double-murder, kidnapping suspect admits to murders, court documents say
Ceja was smothered by a pillow, and the boy was beaten to death, according to detectives. Their bodies were cut into small pieces at the joints to hide evidence.
Pascual-Reyes was in the country illegally after being previously deported.
The case has been held up in the court system for 39 months at taxpayers' expense because Pascual-Reyes was deemed indigent and unable to pay for an attorney. He has also had to use an interpreter.
Attorneys will meet with the judge for a status call on November 7, but court documents state the trial could be held on December 1.
Circuit Judge Steven Perryman will preside over the trial in Tallapoosa County.
Alabama AG's office is prosecuting.
Pascual-Reyes is considered innocent until proven guilty.
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