The jury trial for an Elkhart man accused of murdering his roommate and hiding the body inside a Christmas tree box has been delayed.
Jose Ortiz Diaz is charged in the death of 44-year-old Margarito Estrada Hernandez.
Police say Hernandez’s body was discovered during a search of their Village Lane home after he was reported missing.
The Goshen News says Diaz’s trial was originally scheduled for August but has now been moved to February 1 of next year.

1 comment
It was moved back because the defense team was worried about the optics of stashing the body IN A CHRISTMAS TREE BOX during the holiday season.
Literally.
It’s time to stop coddling criminals, and while I agree that everyone deserves legal representation this lawyer should have been mocked for this suggestion and the request should have been denied.