MODESTO -- A 31-year-old woman accused of murder and arson in the death of a man whose body was found in a burning west Modesto home appeared briefly in court Wednesday afternoon.
The arraignment hearing for Nicole Marie Pappas was postponed until Feb. 22, when the judge also is expected to review her bail.
She has been held without bail at the Stanislaus County Jail since her arrest Dec. 13, a year and a half after the fire and killing.
Authorities believe Pappas started the fire that burned the house in the 1700 block of John Street with Guadalupe Mario Tubera still inside, according to a 44-page arrest affidavit filed Dec. 13 in Stanislaus County Superior Court. The fire occurred sometime after 1 p.m. on May 4, 2011, and authorities allege that Pappas started the fire to cover up a crime scene after Clinton Curtis Wilson shot Tubera inside the home.
Wilson is accused of shooting Tubera over stolen marijuana and a laptop computer. Wilson, 34, has been in custody since May 7, 2011, as he awaits prosecution.
Wilson is scheduled to appear for a pretrial hearing Jan. 28.
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