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WILKES-BARRE — A Luzerne County judge has set a date for the trial to begin in the case of the men accused of fatally shooting another man in Wilkes-Barre.
The order comes a day after Robert Rodriguez and Isaiah Jennings both entered not guilty pleas in the case.
According to the order signed Wednesday by Luzerne County Judge Joseph F. Sklarosky Jr., jury selection will begin Dec. 3 in the case.
Sklarosky’s order only names Rodriguez, 23 of Plymouth Township, and it was not immediately clear if the same schedule would be used to apply to Jennings, 20, of Wilkes-Barre. There was not another order filed applying specifically to Jennings by Wednesday afternoon.
The pair are both charged with counts of homicide, attempted homicide and conspiracy. They allegedly met with Oliver in February for a drug transaction and an alleged plan to rob him, before shooting him and his girlfriend Ingrid Vanessa Batista inside a house on Hutson Street. Oliver later died from his injuries.
On Tuesday, Sklarosky set a trial date in a separate case against Rodriguez. He’s accused of shooting Lamont Garcia in the abdomen a few days prior to the Hutson Street shooting, allegedly after becoming angry over a botched tattoo. The trial in that case begins Sept. 24.
