Hearing set for man accused of murdering Modesto woman

The man accused of killing Dena Raley-McCluskey and burying her body in a shallow grave near Groveland appeared in Stanislaus County Superior Court on Wednesday to set a date for his preliminary hearing. Russell Jones of Modesto has been in custody since Nov. 1.

His preliminary hearing, where authorities will begin to describe the evidence against Jones, is set for Nov. 3. Raley-McCluskey, who disappeared nine years ago, rented a room from Jones in Modesto. Authorities discovered her body in October 2007.