Jurors hear opening arguments in 2022 murder trial

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – The jury in the murder trial of a spa owner is home after the first day. Two men are charged with murder.

On Monday, 12 jurors from diverse backgrounds heard opening arguments from both sides.

Juan Carlos Hernandez is accused of shooting Sihui Fang more than two years ago, on January 24, 2022. He faces several charges, including premeditated murder.

Part of the alleged crime was caught on video. Prosecutors say Hernandez and Jorge Rivera-Ramirez attempted to rob Wonderful Massage in Menaul. They pointed a gun at the owner, Sihui Fang, but she fought back and tried to flee.

According to court documents, that's when Fang managed to grab a gun. The hail of bullets killed her and injured Rivera-Ramirez.

The then 18-year-olds were arrested for murder, but prosecutors believed that Hernandez and Rivera-Ramirez were behind a series of robberies at other massage parlors.

In June, a jury found Rivera-Ramirez guilty of first-degree murder, kidnapping and armed robbery. The verdict is still pending.

The trial of his alleged co-conspirator began on Monday.

“Your job is to find out the facts in this case and determine what you are allowed to do based solely on the evidence before the court,” Judge Brett Loveless said.

Hernandez is charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, tampering with evidence, five counts of armed robbery and five counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery.

Prosecutor Penny Gilbert argued that Fang was deceived into thinking Hernandez had come to her store to get a massage.

“They talk about what kind of massage he wants, he even points to one of their signs. He pulls out some cash, showing that he wanted to pay for a massage. They go into one of the massage rooms. Next we see Sihui leaving the room while Juan Carlos Hernandez has a gun to her head,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert went on to say that Hernandez kidnapped Fang, robbed her and killed her with Ramirez's help.

Hernandez's defense attorney Roberta Yurcic acknowledged that some evidence points to an altercation, but argued that the prosecution's argument in the murder case has some gaps.

“I am confident that you will not find Mr. Hernandez guilty of murder under any of the theories the state has put forward, of first-degree murder under any of the theories the state has proposed. And there are undoubtedly missing pieces, and those missing pieces are reasonable doubt,” Yurcic said.

The trial against Hernandez is expected to last until Friday.