Trial Delayed For Accused San Bernardino Shootings Gun Buyer
RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — The trial for a man accused of buying the guns used in the San Bernardino shootings that killed 14 people and injured 22 more has been delayed to this summer, the U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday.
Enrique Marquez Jr., 24, was originally scheduled to go on trial on Feb. 23 on felony charges of purchasing two illegally modified AR-15-style rifles used in the massacre at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2, 2015. Marquez's trial was continued to July 19, and he is scheduled to make his next court appearance on June 27.
Syed Farook, 28, and his wife, 27-year-old Tashfeen Malik, were killed in a shoot out with police officers hours after the mass shooting at the county social services facility. The attack primarily targeted the San Bernardino County Public Health Department, where Farook worked, which was holding a holiday party at the facility's banquet room.
Federal authorities say Marquez, who met Farook in 2005 after moving to Riverside, bought the guns in 2011 and 2012 for another plot planned for Riverside City College and the Riverside (91) Freeway.
The next-door neighbors had planned to commit mass murder at the library or cafeteria of the college, where they both attended classes, and throw pipe bombs into the cafeteria from a second-floor terrace while firing on people as they tried to run, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Farook and Marquez also allegedly plotted to go on a killing spree on the 91 Freeway. Farook planned to toss pipe bombs onto the road to stop traffic, while Marquez would shoot at first responders as they arrived, authorities said.
Marquez also faces immigration fraud charges for his alleged "sham" marriage to a member of Farook's extended family, permitting her to obtain U.S. residency, for which Marquez was paid $200 a month.