GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — After being delayed once because all of the evidence wasn’t gathered, the July 18 trial for the suspect in a drug debt murder is ready to go on as planned, attorneys said in court Friday.
Pedro Santiago-Marquez is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and being party to mutilating a corpse in connection with the Sept. 27 murder of Jason Mendez-Ramos. Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed Mendez-Ramos because Santiago-Marquez owed Mendez-Ramos $80,000 for a cocaine deal. Rather than pay Mendez-Ramos, Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed him, the criminal complaint alleges. Mendez-Ramos’ burned body was later found on the edge of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay campus.
Defense attorney Heather Richmond told Judge Donald Zuidmulder the week-long trial is ready to go on as scheduled.
According to the criminal complaints, Santiago-Marquez owned an east side business. Mendez-Ramos, Alexander Burgos-Mojica and Jeisaac Rodriguez-Garcia all currently or previously worked for Santiago-Marquez.
A witness told police Santiago-Marquez owed Mendez-Ramos $80,000 for a cocaine deal. Rather than pay Mendez-Ramos, Santiago-Marquez allegedly killed him, the complaint claims.
Mendez-Ramos’ body was dumped on the edge of the UWGB campus and set on fire. Security videos, cellphone tracking information and DNA tie Rodriguez-Garcia to that scene, according to the criminal complaints.
Burgos-Mojica is scheduled to stand trial Aug. 1. Rodriguez-Garcia has a status conference July 25.
