Indio carjack killers’ sentencing delayed, Contreras and Cervantes could receive death penalty

Due to scheduling issues, the penalty phase of trial forone of two men who carjacked, kidnapped, robbed and killed a 55-year-old Indioresident was postponed today and pushed back to next week.

Carlos Contreras, 34, and Daniel Cervantes, 35, could face the deathpenalty for the May 7, 2008, murder of Daniel Kuzawa. Earlier this month,jurors convicted the two men of the murder and found true special circumstanceallegations of murder in the commission of a robbery, kidnapping andcarjacking, along with other crimes committed in the weeks before and after thekilling.

Both defendants are being tried together, but with separate juries. Inthe trial’s penalty phase, the panels will recommend whether the men should be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole.Contreras’ penalty phase, initially scheduled to begin today, starts March 4and Cervantes’ likely will start March 5.

Kuzawa was found by a field worker. He had been shot at close range inthe head and chest on the dirt shoulder of Pierce Street south of AirportBoulevard. His wrists and neck were bound with electrical cable.

Deputy District Attorney Manny Bustamante said Cervantes held a gun onthe victim while Contreras tied up Kuzawa in his own truck as he pleaded for his life.

Kuzawa’s credit card was used at a Shell station in Coachella early onthe morning of May 7. Contreras was arrested that night, after authoritiesstopped a vehicle in which he was a passenger. While trying to flee, hedisposed of a gun believed to be the weapon used to kill Kuzawa, Bustamantesaid.

A search of the Coachella home where Contreras lived with his parentsturned up an ATM receipt from the Fastrip station and spools of cable of thetype used to bind Kuzawa, according to Bustamante.