Preliminary hearing set in death of man found in Ceres freezer

A judge has scheduled a preliminary hearing to start May 11 for a former auto body shop owner suspected of killing his husband who was found inside a freezer in Ceres.

Jacob Medina Cervantes, 26, of Modesto is charged with murder in the death of 49-year-old Thomas Kroger.

According to a filed criminal complaint, the victim was killed sometime from Dec. 1 to April 10.

Kroger was stuffed in a freezer at the auto body shop. Police discovered the remains in mid-April while helping the property owner of the industrial complex off Railroad Avenue, south of Whitmore Avenue, with a civil complaint against Cervantes.

Cervantes remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail with his bail was set at $2 million.

At the conclusion of his preliminary hearing, the judge will determine whether there is enough evidence for Cervantes to stand trial. Before then, the defendant is scheduled to return to court April 13 for a pretrial hearing.

This story was originally published October 30, 2014 at 1:44 PM with the headline "Preliminary hearing set in death of man found in Ceres freezer."