BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Two Northwest Arkansas teens have received trial dates for their alleged roles in an attempted murder case.
David Magana, 19, and Halee Valdez, 19, were arrested in March 2022.
Magana faces charges of attempted capital murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle, terroristic act and minor in possession of a handgun.
Valdez is facing charges of attempted capital murder, unlawful discharge of a firearm from a vehicle and terroristic act.
The two were arrested after police met with a victim who claimed that he was planning to meet up with Valdez when he was shot at.
He reportedly pulled into a park and saw a car being driven by Valdez. As he pulled into the adjacent parking spot, he “noticed movement” indicating that someone else was in the vehicle, so he started to drive away.
The victim says Magana then opened the passenger door and proceeded to shoot at him with a handgun. He was driving away when bullets struck his window and door.
Officers went to the location of the alleged shooting and collected 10 spent shell casings from the parking lot. They later observed 10 bullet holes in the victim’s vehicle, with “at least four bullet holes directly into the driver’s side door.”
Magana and Valdez were both 17 years old at the time of the incident.
Magana and Valdez have juvenile transfer hearings on Jan. 3, 2024, pretrial hearings on March 4, 2024, and jury trials on March 5, 2024.