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HIT-AND-RUN
risk, criminal history, risk to the community, etc. According to the DA’s O ce, there is no ceiling on how high bonds can be set, with some in the millions of dollars.
Under the previous rules, Marquez was being held at the Je erson County jail without bond.
However, at the June 28 hearing, VanGilder set Marquez’s bond at $500,000 cash, with several conditions if he’s able to post it. Along with requiring pretrial supervision and GPS tracking, Marquez can’t consume drugs or alcohol, can’t possess rearms, must surrender any passport, and isn’t allowed to return to e Rock Rest.
Additionally, Marquez must appear in-person for his arraignment at 3:30 p.m. Aug. 7. VanGilder commented how, based on discussions at previous hearings, Marquez is expected to plead not guilty, and have a twoweek trial in January.
Meanwhile, co-defendant Ernesto Avila is scheduled for a nine-day trial in late August.
Avila, 26, pleaded not guilty to a felony accessory charge in February, and he’s scheduled for trial from Aug. 22-Sept. 1. He owns the truck involved in the hit-and-run, but Je co Sheri ’s O ce investigators believe he was a passenger when the truck hit the crowd.
Marquez’s attorneys have disputed those claims, promoting the theory that Avila was the driver.
‘My life is shattered’
Prosecutors argued for $1 million cash only bond, noting Marquez’s criminal history, including one case where his probation was revoked. VanGilder also remarked how Mar- quez was on parole during the Oct. 9 incident and shouldn’t have been consuming alcohol.
Ponce’s family members asked VanGilder to set the highest bond possible, saying they’re completely heartbroken by Ponce’s death. His two children are now growing up without a father, and his family believed it wasn’t fair that Marquez be allowed to return to a relatively normal life when their lives have been ruined.
After hearing how Marquez hoped to make bond and see his daughter,
