Valenzuela murder case on track for January trial date

The trial for one of Maricopa’s most high-profile murder cases is on track, according to lawyers on both sides.

The trial date for accused double-murderer Jose Ignacio Valenzuela is set for Jan. 23 and is on schedule. Valenzuela is charged with the two counts of first-degree murder for the shooting deaths of Tina and Michael Careccia.

Prosecutor Gary Husk and defense attorney James Mannato appeared along with Valenzuela in a Pinal County court room Monday as part of a status hearing. Both sides agreed they were on course to make the January court date.

The next status hearing is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m. in Judge Kevin White’s courtroom at Pinal County Superior Court in Florence. Because of the notoriety of the case, it has become the trial around which all other upcoming murder trials are scheduled.

On the evening of June 21, 2015, both victims were shot in the head with a .22 caliber pistol, the bodies buried next to the Valenzuela house and discovered two weeks later.