The trial of Wells cop shooter Peter Mark Coca could be a doozy just judging by the amount of time, three weeks, it is scheduled to last.
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Coca pled not guilty to 14 felony counts including seven counts of attempted murder in his first appearance in Elko District Court. Elko District Judge Mike Memeo set his trial date to begin January 24, 2012. And based on recommendations by both coca’s lawyers and the District Attorney’s office, Memeo set aside three weeks for the case.
The charges stem from a February shooting spree that left one Elko County Deputy critically wounded after being shot five times and entire city in lock down for three days before Coca turned himself in to US Marshals in Wells.
Coca was arrested February 26 after he turned himself in to police following a three day search for the Wells electrical contractor.
Elko County Deputies and NHP troopers were called to the Wells’ man home in response to a ‘violent domestic dispute’ on February 24. When they arrived the saw Coca on the roof brandishing an assault rifle. From that rooftop snipers’ perch Coca held off the deputies and NHP troopers for about 30 minutes firing well over 50 rounds critically injuring one
Deputy Lenwood Van Natter was hit by multiple rifle shots in the chest, hip and legs. Deputy Van Natter was pulled from the scene by the other officers and air lifted to a Salt Lake City hospital.
Following a two day multi state manhunt Coca surrendered on February 26 in Wells where he had been hiding all along in a neighbor’s basement.
Shortly after his arrest Coca complained of chest pains and was sent for medical care and evaluation in Carson City. He was returned to the Elko County Jail on March 17.
Most criminal trials in Elko last at most two weeks and most court watchers predicted that the Coca case if indeed it made it before the jury would last just one.
“There are about a dozen eye witnesses,” said one law enforcement officer after Coca’s arrest this February. “It’s not like you need a detective to ferret out clues.”
Perhaps one does.
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In Coca’s preliminary hearing earlier this summer, Attorney Mark Guralnick argued albeit unsuccessfully that Coca should not be bound over for trial because the prosecution did not prove the Coca had shown ‘murderous intent’ during the shoot out.
The New Jersey attorney was not helped by the tape message his client left on the answering machine of a relative admitting that he shot a “couple of cops. Goodbye.”
Guralnick’s presence may indicate that the Wells businessman is going to put up a fight to stay out of prison.
Click below for video of Coca pleading
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Classified as “excellent” by the legal rating book Martindale Hubble, Guralnick according to his firm’s website operates a large legal firm specializing in a wide variety of law from criminal defense to personal injury.
And while the no murderous intent defense may seem a bit farfetched especially when doctors say Deputy Van Natter was not killed only because he was wearing body armor, it has been successful in an Elko County court room before.
Some 20 years ago a Wells Police officer escaped an attempted murder conviction after unloading seven bullets into his wife’s lover after he caught the paramours in bed.
While convicted of the much lessor charge of assault with a deadly weapon, jurors were evidently persuaded by the defense argument that the accused was such a good shot he intentionally avoided all vital organs of his victims.
The ex-policeman subsequently served less than 5 years in a minimum security prison and within a short time after his release had the felony expunged from his record. He was later elected to serve on the Wells City Council.
