Embezzlement trial date set

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - A jury will soon decide if Ronald Santiago, the former loan officer accused of murdering John and Bernadette Ohlemacher in their Northwest Albuquerque home, is guilty of embezzlement.

Santiago faces six counts relating to mortgage fraud for allegedly embezzling money from a different Albuquerque couple who he was working with at Countywide Mortgage.

District Judge Pat Murdoch set the trial for April 25.

Santiago did not have to appear in court for Wednesday morning's hearing. He was due in court for a hearing on Friday regarding what the District Attorney's Office calls a key piece of evidence in the murder of the Ohlemachers. However, that hearing was canceled later.

Shell casings were found at Santiago's house that matched ones from the Ohlemacher crime scene. But, Murdoch recently ruled the casings inadmissable because police secured the home before they had a warrant in hand. Friday, the judge will reconsider his decision.

The outcome of the fraud trial could play a big role in the murder case.