Judge finds enough evidence in murder case

IMPERIAL COUNTY, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - The man charged with murdering a 70-year-old woman in Westmorland made an appearance for his preliminary hearing.

During the hearing the judge found enough evidence to move forward with the case.

"It's a case where Mr. Angulo is charged with first degree murder," said Eric Alizade.

41-year-old Claudio Angulo is accused of stabbing and murdering 70-year-old Maria Cruz inside her Westmorland apartment on July 4 of last year.

A month later, Angulo was arrested by the Imperial County Sheriff's Office (ICSO) based on the evidence they found.

Last year, ICSO shared the connection between Angulo and the victim.

"They were acquaintances. They lived in the same apartment complex and that is how they knew each other," said Lt. Clinton Erro.

The Imperial County District Attorney's Office tells us what will happen next in this case.

"So, the next step is the arrangement of information. That is when we bring in the documents to push the case further to the jury trial and when the case goes to the jury trial...the jury will be deciding on this case based on the information," said Eric Alizade.

Angulo is currently at the Imperial County jail with no bail. His next court appearance will be on September 3.