One of three men charged with murder at a Healdsburg pot garden entered a plea bargain Wednesday with prosecutors that requires him to testify against his co-defendants.
Ramon Velasco Lopez, 28, of Healdsburg, admitted being an accessory to marijuana cultivation in the Oct. 16 shooting of his brother-in-law, Gabino Lopez Santiago, 46, at the garden near West Dry Creek Road.
Prosecutors agreed to drop a murder charge against Lopez if he takes the stand at a Feb. 27 preliminary hearing for Sidonio Cruz-Santos, 35, of Santa Rosa and Augustin Zepeda-Onofre, 23, of Windsor.
Both men are charged with murder and face life sentences.
Lopez is expected to provide key evidence against them.
"He was present at the time of the shooting and was there when the body was dumped," Deputy District Attorney Anne Masterson said outside court Wednesday.
Detectives believe Santiago, who tended a nearby olive orchard, went drinking with a co-worker and his brother-in-law the night of the shooting.
They were joined by Cruz-Santos and Zepeda-Onofre, who urged Santiago to take part in their marijuana growing venture on Chemise Road, detectives said.
When Santiago refused, Cruz-Santos and Zepeda-Onofre shot him. His body was dumped about 10 miles away on Mill Creek Road.
Lopez, who reported the shooting to police later that night, admitted he dumped the body as instructed because he feared for his life.
Under his plea agreement, Lopez pledged to "testify truthfully" about what happened the night of the killing. He can also be called to testify at trial.
Prosecutors will drop murder and gun charges against Lopez. He'll serve about nine months in jail and faces deportation to Mexico.
His lawyer, Erik Bruce, said the real motive for the killing is unclear.
He said Lopez was a "reluctant participant" in the pot growing operation who was recruited as a day laborer by two men he didn't know.
They assured him the garden was legal.
"It's a pretty common story these days," Bruce said. "He thought the people had licenses. He was just trying to get a paycheck."
But the men got into an argument fueled by alcohol and cocaine. Cruz-Santos shot the brother-in-law and Lopez was forced to dispose of the body, Bruce said.
As soon as it was safe, he went to police. He made a statement to prosecutors last week that could be used as evidence.
"Right from the get-go he demonstrated he wanted to do the right thing," Bruce said. "The agreement recognizes he had no role in the homicide."
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