HOUSTON— Four relatives accused of killing a respected Houston doctor pleaded not guilty to capital murder charges in an Austin County courtroom Tuesday.
The doctor’s former ranch hand, Noel Galvan Cerna, his brothers, Cristobal Galvan Cerna and Moises Galvan Cerna, and their cousin, Misael Santollo, made their first court appearance since they were indicted last month.
Investigators say they had planned to kidnap the doctor’s wife and baby for ransom money.
“This is the first time I get to see them since the incident,” said the doctor’s pregnant widow, Charlene Gonzalez, as she waited in the Austin County courtroom. “I just want to see how humiliated their faces look.”
The suspects did not make eye contact with Charlene Gonzalez, but they did wave to their own families who were also in court. The mother of the three brothers, at times, sat with her face in her hands. All three of her sons and her nephew could face the death penalty if convicted.
“They [the family] are just emotionally crushed,” said Noel Galvan Cerna’s attorney James Rivera. “They are here right now, they have been calling us every day. This is a nice Hispanic family that cares very much about her three kids. I can feel for her. Her three kids right now are facing the death penalty. It’s the scariest thing to think about.”
The suspects' plan blew up when Dr. Gonzalez grabbed a gun inside the ranch house and began firing at the three masked intruders who ambushed the family at their Bellville ranch in August.
The doctor was shot several times during the gun battle and he died at the scene.
Noel Galvan, was also wounded in the shootout. It’s not clear if the other three intruders intended to shoot Galvan to draw attention away from him as a suspect, or if he was shot accidentally.
The ranch hand was hospitalized in serious condition for several days and doctors weren’t able to remove the bullet.
The three brothers are illegal immigrants from Mexico, which has opposed execution of its citizens in past cases.
The Austin County District Attorney has not yet decided if he will seek the ultimate punishment, but they are prepared if they choose to do so.
”Austin County is more than ready to step up to the plate and handle these cases, said Travis Koehn. “The Attorney General’s Office has offered to assist us in the prosecution of this case. There’s no doubt in my mind that Austin County will take care of the crimes that happened in Austin County and who is responsible for it or bare that that responsibility and pay the price for it.”
The suspects remain jailed without bond. Another hearing has been set for next month.
Relatives said Gonzalez was a family man whose life mission was to help others.
“We are a tight-knit family and he was just a perfect man, a perfect father and a great physician,” the doctor’s son told 11 News last month.
Relatives say the doctor loved his ranch in Bellville and took his family there almost every weekend to escape the fast pace of city life.
