Atwater Men to Stand Trial for Bar Killings

Two brothers accused of killing two men and wounding a third in a Glendale tavern last November have been ordered to stand trial on murder and conspiracy charges.

After four days of testimony by a dozen witnesses, including a victim of the Nov. 24 incident, Glendale Municipal Judge Charles Horan ruled Monday there was sufficient evidence to bring Rodolfo Marquez, 21, and Manuel Marquez, 25, to trial.

The two brothers from Atwater are each charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to attempt murder for a shooting at the Rustic Inn on San Fernando Road.

If convicted, they could be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole, said Deputy Dist. Atty. Patty Shrader. The death penalty may be invoked for a murder conviction if more than one person is killed.

A third man, Constancio Villagrana, 25, of Bell, faces one count of conspiracy to commit murder. He could be sentenced to 25 years to life in prison if convicted, Shrader said. The three will be arraigned Feb. 6 in Pasadena Superior Court.

Prosecutors said they believe the men left the tavern after being in a fistfight, then returned about 30 minutes later. They say Rodolfo Marquez, accompanied by Villagrana and armed with a gun Manuel Marquez had given him, entered the bar and began shooting, while Manuel Marquez waited in a getaway truck outside.

Oscar Lemus, 34, of Los Angeles and Jose Davila, 33, of Glendale were killed, and Javier Maldonado, 48, of Los Angeles, was wounded.