MCGREGOR, Texas — A judge has set a trial date and denied key defense motions in the capital murder case against Nicolas Jaimes-Hernandez , the man accused of killing five family members in a 2022 shooting in McGregor.

Jaimes-Hernandez, 37, appeared Thursday afternoon in the 19th State District Court, where District Judge Thomas West denied two motions filed by the defense. One requested that the defense be allowed to conduct its own DNA testing of evidence. The other sought to block a planned mock trial in preparation for the full trial.

Judge West rejected both motions, calling the attempt to block a mock trial “unconstitutional.”

Defense attorney Clay Dean Thomas expressed frustration with the ruling, telling 6 News that he had never seen a mock trial used in a criminal case.

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