Murder case from 2017 set trial in June

A murder trial for the killing of Lilia Cosco-Ortiz, 37, from Vancouver, Washington, is set for June 17-27, 2025.

Cosco-Ortiz was found dead in a blueberry field between Lafayette and Dayton on Oct. 2, 2016.

On Jan. 19, 2017, Victor Melcher-Villalba, Cosco-Ortiz’s boyfriend, was indicted for murder. A warrant was issued and then returned on Jan. 20, 2017, as Melcher-Villalba had then fled to Mexico.

The Yamhill County Special Investigations Unit worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and secured a federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution on Melcher-Villalba. He was taken into custody in Durango, Mexico, on July 11, 2022, on unrelated charges. He is being held with no bail.

At the Oct. 31 status hearing, defense attorney Theodore Coran said the defense is waiting for key piece of corroborating evidence. The defense has been waiting for it since the Sept. 26 status hearing and for that reason the trial date was not set at the former hearing. He said the defense does not need the evidence before scheduling a trial date at this time.

The state and defense agreed the trial would take over a week as an interpreter is needed for all court proceedings, to accommodate Melcher-Viallaba.