Ridgecrest woman’s murder trial postponed

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Trial for a Ridgecrest woman charged with murder in her boyfriend’s shooting death has been postponed to August.

Renee Molina, 23, was previously scheduled to stand trial later this month.

Molina is accused of killing Joseph Loza Jr., 24, during an altercation early Dec. 4. Ridgecrest police said Loza was found around 2 a.m. with a gunshot wound to his head at a home on East Wilson Avenue. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The couple had been hosting a party and Molina caught Loza kissing a teen girl, according to police reports.

Molina told police she pointed the gun at Loza, believing it wasn’t loaded, and pulled the trigger, according to the filings. She told detectives she only grabbed it to show Loza how upset he’d made her.