photo by: Mackenzie Clark

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, which houses Douglas County District Court and a number of other criminal justice services at 111 E. 11th St., is pictured April 8, 2020.

Two Lawrence teens will have a two-week trial next year on attempted murder charges stemming from a North Lawrence shooting in May.

Judge Kay Huff on Tuesday scheduled Alejandro Martinez-Diaz and Ontareo X. Jackson, both 18, to stand trial on two counts of first-degree attempted murder on March 14. Additionally, Huff scheduled Roxanna S. Todd, who is charged with felony obstruction of apprehension for allegedly helping some of the people involved in the shooting to flee the area, to also stand trial at that time.

Huff said she intended for the three separate cases to be “consolidated,” meaning all three will be tried in the same jury trial.

Jackson and Todd were arraigned on their charges during the hearing on Tuesday, with both entering not guilty pleas. Martinez-Diaz was not present during the hearing because of an illness and will be formally arraigned at a later date.

The charges stem from a May 27 shooting incident in which a female teen was struck in the head and neck in what a prosecutor called a “mafia-style shooting.”

During preliminary hearings, Javier Romero, one of the alleged victims, testified that he and his girlfriend were in their vehicle and were being followed through North Lawrence by Martinez-Diaz and Jackson, and that when they reached the intersection of North and North Seventh streets, Martinez-Diaz and Jackson were hanging out of their car with firearms.

“Next thing I know, I was getting shot at,” Romero said.

Romero’s girlfriend, Caylee Nehrbass, was struck in the head and neck in the incident. Romero said he drove her to the hospital and spoke to police about the incident immediately afterward.

Romero testified after previously refusing to speak in court, which resulted in his initially being held in contempt of court. Romero is also being held in jail in connection with a separate shooting that occurred in September. In that case, Romero is accused of killing Christian Willis of Wichita on Sept. 8, as the Journal-World previously reported.

Meanwhile, Todd was bound over for trial for allegedly helping Jackson and Martinez-Diaz’s younger brother flee the area of the shooting shortly after it occurred.

A police officer testified that Todd told him during a search of her home that she drove through a neighbor’s yard and a grassy area near her home to leave the neighborhood through a county road east of her residence, which would allow them to leave the neighborhood without passing the officers who were investigating the shooting down the street.

Lawrence police arrested Martinez-Diaz on May 28. He was later released from jail after posting a $75,000 cash or surety bond. Jackson was arrested on Aug. 3 and was still in jail custody as of Tuesday.

Todd is out of jail custody. She first appeared in court on the charge on Aug. 6 and posted a $2,000 bond on Aug. 10, according to court records.