By Patch Staff
The case against Abraham López, the suspect accused of killing Cindi Santana, 17, an alleged ex-girlfriend, with a knife in South Gate’s South East High School in September 2011, is expected to appear before another pre-trial hearing July 26.
After a pre-trial hearing in November 2012, both the prosecution and defense confessed to Patch that murder cases are very susceptible to delays due to evidence gathering and trial preparation.
López also recently changed his representation, something that tends to produce more pre-trial hearings for the reasons stated above, according to comments from courtroom staff at the Norwalk Courthouse.
Scott Herin, a Los Angeles County Deputy Public Defender, is no longer representing López, who is currently being defended by Nicholas Rosenberg, an independent Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney.
López, age 18 at the time of the stabbing, is facing many charges, including murder.
In May 2012, López pleaded not guilty.
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