Woman's Murder Possibly Mexican Hit

A gang leader in Mexico may have ordered the death of a Temecula woman, according to witnesses.

Jose Adan Martinez, 20, of Temecula, allegedly shot and killed Maria Semental, 20, also of Temecula, on June 16, 2010 through her bedroom window.

The woman died of four gunshot wounds.

Martinez did not mean to kill his victim, an attorney argued during a hearing last year. to read about the hearing.

The victim and her boyfriend, Adrian Jurado, were embroiled in a power struggle in their Temecula-based gang, Jurado testified Thursday during a trial hearing at the in French Valley.

A man living in Mexico seized control of the gang before the shooting, and some of the younger members -- including Jurado and Martinez -- refused to obey him.

A few days before the killing, the victim and her boyfriend called the Mexican gang leader and told them they would not take orders from him, Jurado testified.

Before that phone call, the defendant and Jurado were very close, he said. "We kicked it everyday," he said.

But then something changed. In the days leading up to the killing, the two men grew distant. "He didn't come over… not like he used to," Jurado said.

The alleged killer knew the man in Mexico and at least once crossed the border to visit his home, Jurado said.

Prosecutor Erica Schwartz asked the witness whether Martinez could have been in contact with the leader in Mexico during that time, and he said it was possible.

After the shooting, the alleged killer went to fellow gang member Nicolas Rangel's house. The defendant was rambling about having delivered a message, Rangel testified.

"(Martinez said) he knows what time it is, everything's all good, he knows what's up," Rangel said.

Prosecution testimony is expected to continue on Thursday.