Brothers accused of murdering 14-year-old girl to appear in pre-trial detention hearing

Prosecutors from the Doña Ana County District Attorney’s office will ask a judge on Friday to keep the two brothers accused of murdering a 14-year-old girl behind bars while awaiting their trial, a spokesman said.

It is part of the state’s new bail and pretrial detention system — which went into effect July 1st — requiring prosecutors to demonstrate that an accused person poses a danger to the community in order for them to be held without bond.

Police arrested two brothers, 20-year-old Julio Gutierrez-Barrera and 19-year-old Alonzo Barrera, on Saturday in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Jocelyn Trujillo-Pierce.

Trujillo-Pierce’s grandparents told ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom on Monday that they were unaware that their granddaughter had sneaked out of her bedroom the night of her murder.

“I said, ‘No! Jocelyn is asleep,'” said her grandmother, Amparo Munoz.

The 14-year-old attended a party, where she was killed by a drive-by shooter, according to police.

“She didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Muñoz said. “She was just an innocent teenager.”

Trujillo-Pierce’s grandparents continue to mourn her loss. They learned about her death from a friend, who saw it on social media.

“She wanted just to enjoy the things in life, and she wasn’t able to because her life was cut so short,” said Avangeline Trujillo, the victim’s cousin. “She was only 14. That shouldn’t have happened to a 14-year-old. It shouldn’t have.”

The two brothers will appear in Judge Fernando Macias’ court on Friday.

ABC-7’s New Mexico Mobile Newsroom will attend the pre-trial detention hearing. Check back for updates.