A murder trial expected to start next month for the men accused in a June 2024 Newhall murder has been pushed back after a defense motion seeking more time, according to court records.  Fernando Bernabe, 31, of Newhall, was pronounced dead from a gunshot wound to the chest after being sho t in the parking lot of Valencia Liquor, near Lyons and Newhall avenues, on June 16, 2024.  Omar Garcia Ramirez, 26, of Newhall, has been in custody since his arrest nearly two weeks after the shooting. Court records identified him as the suspected shooter.   Based on evidence presented during the preliminary hearing, the prosecution believes that Ramirez and another man, Jose Corona Duarte, fought with Bernabe outside the liquor store just prior to a shooting.  Corona Duarte has been in custody since his arrest in July 2024. Both are facing murder charges.  Homicide detectives previously identified one of the suspects as a gang member, but family members of Fernando Bernabe, 31, of Newhall, said the victim was not affiliated. He had little criminal history beyond a misdemeanor arrest in March 2023.    Evidence during the preliminary hearing in March of this year included surveillance footage of the incident from nearby security cameras. A Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy testified about the contents of the video, which depicted a verbal confrontation that escalated into physical violence and then a shooting.    Garcia Ramirez, who also had a gang alias of “Daffy,” was arrested by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department fugitive task force 10 days after the shooting, according to testimony at the hearing. Custody records indicate Corona Duarte, a Valencia barber, was arrested the following month by patrol deputies with the SCV Sheriff’s Station.   Corona Duarte’s attorney argued his client should not be charged with murder under the circumstances, if he was not the triggerman nor an “aider-or-abettor.” He argued that if Corona Duarte had any plan to be involved in a murder plot, he would not have physically assaulted Bernabe, as that doesn’t make sense.   Judge David Stuart ruled there was enough evidence to hold a trial, and Judge Michael Terrell is scheduled to hold the gavel in the third week of September, when the trial is now expected to begin.  The post Trial dates shift in Newhall murder case appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less