Bedford County judge considers motions in MS-13 murder trial

Raymond Wood was 17 when he was murdered

BEDFORD COUNTY, Va. – A judge is considering several motions in the trial for the high-profile murder of Raymond Wood, a 17-year-old from Lynchburg. 

21-year-old Kevin Soto-Bonilla is one of five men charged with capital murder in the March 2017 death of Wood. Soto-Bonilla is also accused of being an MS-13 gang member. 

Soto-Bonilla's attorney has asked for a change of venue, saying his client deserves a fair trial, which he believes would be impossible in Bedford County because news coverage has biased potential jurors.

The judge will revisit that request and take it into advisement. However, as it stands now, they still are going to attempt to seat a jury in Bedford County. 

Later this month, attorneys will revisit and review photos that the defense would like to exclude from the trial. The judge is taking the request to exclude them into advisement. 

The judge denied a motion to have a jury questionnaire.

The trial is scheduled to begin February 26.