Stanislaus County judge postpones trial in child’s death

A judge has decided to postpone a second trial for Jeff Artemio Lopez, who is accused in his 4-year-old stepdaughter’s death.

The trial initially was scheduled to begin this week, but Lopez’s attorney, Hans Hjertonsson, is currently in the middle of a lengthy preliminary hearing for Modesto attorney Frank Carson and five others charged in the slaying of Korey Kauffman.

Hjertonsson represents one of Carson’s co-defendants, Daljit Atwal, and can’t proceed with the Lopez trial until the Kauffman preliminary hearing ends.

Superior Court Judge Nancy Ashley on April 27 will reschedule Lopez’s second trial. The defendant remains free on bail.

In March 2009, a jury found Lopez not guilty of murder in the 2007 death of Adriana Jimenez. A forensic pathologist testified that the preschooler suffered retinal hemorrhages, which suggested she had been shaken violently or hit with a blunt object.

The jury, however, failed to reach verdicts on lesser homicide charges in connection with the child’s death.

The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office chose to prosecute Lopez again but has since decided to drop the manslaughter charges. Lopez faces one count of child abuse causing death.

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Stanislaus County judge postpones trial in child’s death."