From Andy Furillo:
It's a big week for accused murderers in Sacramento Superior Court.
For openers, the murder trials of Sertice Melonson and Sara Weeden continue in Department 12, while the murder trial of Wayne Albert Caskey and Bennett Louis Kovac resume after a week's break in Department 31.
Meanwhile, a new murder trial is supposed to get under way Wednesday on Vardan Abramyan. The 21-year-old defendant is accused of paying some teenagers $4,000 to kill his father July 31, 2006. The trial will be assigned out of Department 4.
Six other accused murderers also are in court this week for assorted proceedings.
They are Brandon Chatman and Shawn Jones (Department 62 on Tuesday, for the Oct. 25 light-rail shooting death of Ricky Buford); Ofiu Edwards Foto (Department 63 on Wednesday, for the Sept. 5 bludgeon death of group home worker Pausta Theresia Sibarani); Thomas Jerome Martin (Department 4 on Wednesday, for the Feb. 5 beating death of 3-year-old Valeeya Brazile); Jonathan Lamar Perry (Department 61 on Friday, for the July 21 beating death of 4-year-old Jahmaurae Allen); and Jimmy Siackasorn (Department 61 on Friday, for the Dec. 19 shooting death of Sacramento sheriff's Det. Vu Nguyen).
Maureen Hoffart also is in Department 61 on Wednesday for the death of her 2-month-old baby, Olivia Rose Dipinto, who died Jan. 1. Coroners established the cause of death as methamphetamine intoxication ingested through her mother's breast milk.
The week also includes Judge Kevin McCormick's expected ruling today on whether to keep Ronald Toppila in Napa State Hospital for the beating death of his mother four years ago or accede to the hospital's wishes and transfer him to a community care facility.
Also this week, attorney Gary Appleblatt also is scheduled for a Friday preliminary hearing on charges of sexual battery.
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