The case against the man charged with murdering Paso Robles resident Nancy Woodrum in 2018 will move forward to trial.
A San Luis Obispo County Superior Court judge ruled Friday to uphold the charges against Carlo Alberto FuentesFlores at the end of his multi-day preliminary hearing, according to the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.
FuentesFlores has pleaded not guilty to murder and special circumstances that allege Woodrum’s death occurred during a rape or attempted rape and during the commission of a burglary. The criminal complaint filed against the 44-year-old also alleges that the murder was premeditated.
Last year, a request to keep the media out of the courtroom for future hearings involving FuentesFlores was denied.
Woodrum, 62, was a popular hairdresser last seen alive in May 2018.
FuentesFlores was arrested that December after the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office says he led them to Woodrum’s body off Highway 58 in eastern San Luis Obispo County.
Investigators say FuentesFlores was hired to paint the deck on Woodrum’s property in the week leading up to her disappearance.
During last week’s preliminary hearing, the DA’s Office says a motion to suppress the defendant’s confession to the murder was also denied.
FuentesFlores is being held in San Luis Obispo County Jail.
Previous coverage:
Suspect in Nancy Woodrum’s murder enters not guilty plea
