Jury trial for man accused in East Naples killing set for February
A Naples man accused of killing a teen five years ago will face trial in February.
Santiago Burbano, 25, is accused of killing Rubi Velasco, who was 18, in an East Naples home on Sept. 13, 2018.
Judge John McGowan set a jury trial date for Feb. 12. He also approved a motion to appoint an expert, according to court records, in which the details are currently unknown.
Nearly five years ago, Burbano's mother called Collier County Sheriff's Office to report her son had killed a woman, according to an arrest report.
Deputies responded that evening to Tuscan Isle Apartments where they found Velasco in a bedroom with a laceration on her neck, according to the Sheriff's Office.
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Burbano's mother told investigators he and Velasco had returned home in the afternoon and went into his bedroom together, the report states.
Later, Burbano's mother got a call from a relative indicating something might be wrong, according to the report. She went to check on her son but found his bedroom door locked.
While she was outside his bedroom door, Burbano said, "Mommy, mommy, I killed Rubi," the report states.
Burbano's mother convinced him to open the door. She found him sitting at his desk with a rifle pointed at his head where he told his mother he preferred to die than go to jail, according to the report. After his mother persuaded him to put the rifle down, deputies arrested Burbano.
Burbano pleaded not guilty in October 2018, but was found incompetent to stand trial in March 2019 because of mental illness, according to court records. He was committed to the Florida Department of Children and Families for treatment after two evaluations found him incompetent to stand trial, where he was expected to reach competency.
More: Collier murder suspect found incompetent to stand trial
More: Second competency hearing for man accused in East Naples killing set for Friday
A psychiatric evaluation filed on Oct. 11, 2019, stated "Burbano is competent to proceed contingent on his remaining on psychotropic medications." He was then transported to the Naples Jail Center about three weeks later.
He was found incompetent again in February 2020, according to court documents. About a year later, Judge Joseph Foster found Burbano competent to proceed with the trial, but he was reevaluated and deemed incompetent yet again in December 2021. In May 2022, Burbano was found competent to proceed with the trial again.
He has remained in state custody since his arrest.
Last July, the case was reassigned to Judge McGowan, who set the trial date Monday.
Burbano will appear in court for a pre-trial hearing in January ahead of his February jury trial.
Emma Behrmann is a breaking news reporter for the Naples Daily News and Fort Myers News-Press. You may reach her at EBehrmann@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @emmabehrmann.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Man accused in East Naples killing of friend set for February
