Preliminary hearing set for Modesto murder suspects

MODESTO -- A judge on Monday scheduled a March 6 preliminary hearing for two men charged with murder in the shooting of a Patterson man year ago in west Modesto.

Authorities say Juan Manuel Tello, 27, of Modesto and Alexander Hernandez Lopez, 26, of Salida are responsible for the shooting death of Robert Ruvalcaba.

The 38-year-old man was found dead Dec. 16, 2011 in an alley near North Martin Luther King Drive and Linden Street.

Witnesses told police they heard gunshots and spotted injured Ruvalcaba in the alley. The preliminary hearing is expected to last three days.

The defendants remain in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail.