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Gang members go to trial on charges of engaging in organized criminal activity

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  • Gheni Platenburg •
  • Originally published January 23, 2012 at 6:42 p.m., updated January 24, 2012 at 8:30 a.m.

Two men will face charges of engaging in organized criminal activity in a trial scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Robert Lindstrom, also known as "Stutter" and Robert Saldana, aka "Wedo," both of Victoria, are charged with conspiring to cause serious bodily harm to Paul Benavides, aka "Pow Wow," by shooting him, according to the defendants' October 2010 indictments.

Their indictments contend that in September 2006, the defendants, who are members of the Hermanos Pistoleros Latinos street gang, requested authority to proceed with the murder of Paul Benavides from the ruling leader of the HPL; relayed communication of the ruling leader authorizing Benavides' murder; coordinated a meeting of HPL members to plan Benavides' murder; approved the murder; and coordinated the cover-up and destruction of evidence.

Lindstrom, 25, and Saldana, 27, were originally scheduled to go to trial in October, but the attorneys ran out of potential jurors to choose from.

The trial was rescheduled till now.

Saldana will be represented by court-appointed defense attorney Bill White, while Lindstrom will be represented by court-appointed attorney Alex Luna.

The Victoria County District Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case.

The trial is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. in Judge Robert Cheshire's courtroom.




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Comments

  • raven8 raven8 Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    mchelle7734
    What your beef? Don't like what i said? Guess what Ha Ha. You will be left here with me too.
    Besides, i put in 25 years in the military, so yup, free world baby.

    January 24, 2012 at 4:37 p.m.
  • legion357 legion357 Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    Is this the leader they are talking about in the article?

    http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/...

    January 24, 2012 at 3:33 p.m.
  • archiebonkers2 archiebonkers2 Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    that guy is still on the street! what happened Steve Tyler? the guy ordered murders! the wheels of justice are bogged down in the city of Victoria!

    January 24, 2012 at 1:55 p.m.
  • mchelle7734 mchelle7734 Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    "from the ruling leader of the HPL"....Wonder if he will ever be charged with ordering these rulings or he will be left out in the free world with raven8

    January 24, 2012 at 12:39 p.m.
  • cafevida cafevida Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    Robert Lindstrom, aka "Stutter"; Jeffrey Soto, aka "Jeff"; and Robert Saldana, aka "Wedo," all of Victoria, were scheduled to be tried for the 2006 attempted murder of Paul Benavides. This was posted in Advocate in Oct 2011

    All three defendants faced a charge of first-degree engagement in organized criminal activity.

    SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE 2ND PERSON JEFF SOTO???

    January 24, 2012 at 8:34 a.m.
  • raven8 raven8 Report a ViolationReport a Violation Permalink  | 

    Damn! About time they went on trail.Gang bangers, we don't want you'll in Victoria. Unbaised, get it? I don't think you will find that word in your home boy / home girl dictionary. Look it up in Websters.

    January 24, 2012 at 5:41 a.m.