Trial set for man accused in his husband’s death; body found in Ceres freezer

A judge has scheduled a trial to begin Oct. 25 for a man accused of murder in the death of his husband, who was found inside a freezer at a vacant Ceres auto body shop.

Jacob Medina Cervantes and Thomas Kroger were married and apparently business partners in that Ceres auto body shop, off Railroad Avenue, south of Whitmore Avenue. But their relationship and business partnership allegedly turned violent after Kroger became upset about cars not being repaired on time as promised.

On April 14, 2014, police found Kroger’s body stuffed inside in the chest-style freezer. Authorities believe Kroger, 49, was killed sometime from Dec. 1, 2013, to April 10, 2014.

Cervantes told police that Kroger came at him with a knife in his hand at the auto body shop. He said he took off his jacket and wrapped it around his hand to defend himself against Kroger.

The defendant said he punched Kroger six to seven times in the face to subdue him. Kroger dropped the knife, then Cervantes choked Kroger, according to testimony in a preliminary hearing last month.

Cervantes, 28, of Modesto remains in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail. Superior Court Judge Linda McFadden on Wednesday also scheduled the defendant to return to court Feb. 29 for a pretrial hearing.

This story was originally published November 20, 2015 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Trial set for man accused in his husband’s death; body found in Ceres freezer."