Trial for man accused in Golden Valley shooting death set for June 10

KINGMAN – The trial for Gerald Richardson, the Golden Valley man charged in the October shooting death of Jessica Mae Orozco, is set to begin June 10 in the court of Judge Derek Carlisle.

Richardson, 58, is charged with manslaughter and two counts of endangerment, as the state claims Richardson “recklessly endangered” two minors with his alleged actions.

Richardson told detectives he was asleep on his couch when Orozco arrived to bring a child back from a birthday party. He wasn’t expecting anyone, and Richardson believed the person trying to enter his residence through the front door was an intruder.

He fired one shot from a firearm that struck Orozco, who was transported to Kingman Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

At a final management conference Friday, attorneys on the case said they will be prepared for trial. However, defense attorney Robin Puchek has filed a special action in the Arizona Court of Appeals regarding remanding the case back to the grand jury.

Richardson sought to have his case sent back to the grand jury because, “He argued he was denied a substantial procedural right because the prosecutor failed to instruct the grand jurors on his justification defenses,” according to court documents.

At a hearing in March, Puchek said the prosecution provided to the grand jury possible justification defenses for the manslaughter charge, however, it did not do so for the endangerment charges.

Puchek and prosecuting attorney James Schoppmann told the judge they expect the trial to last four to five days. One of the defense’s witnesses will be Richardson’s brother, Puchek told the judge, while another will be a firearms expert. The state has a longer list of witnesses that include two children, a paramedic and the Mohave County medical examiner.