A road rage murder trial in Wake County has been delayed while lawyers spar over the defendant's immigration status and its relevance to the case.
The trial for Josue Quintanilla-Reyes was set to get underway Monday. He's charged with murder after the shooting death of Ricardo Baez Cardenas on I-40 East near Cary in March 2025 during an apparent road rage incident.
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A judge continued the trial while prosecutors appeal a decision that bars them from entering any evidence of Quintanilla-Reyes' immigration status.
Quintanilla-Reyes faces federal charges for possessing a firearm while in the United States unlawfully. Federal prosecutors say he is a citizen of Honduras.
Cardenas' family was emotional outside the courtroom after a judge delayed the trial. "We're a little upset today," Ricardo Baez Cardenas' brother Ramon said. "You don't kill someone because he tailgates you or whatever happened. at the end of the day, they're going to know what happened. My brother can't express himself anymore, so that's why we're here."
Quintanilla-Reyes' attorneys claim he acted in self-defense. They filed a motion asking the judge to prohibit prosecutors from introducing evidence of Quintanilla-Reyes' immigration status, saying it has no relevance.
On Monday, a judge allowed that motion.State prosecutors are appealing that decision and forcing a delay in proceedings.
In previous court filings, prosecutors have said that showing evidence of Quintanilla-Reyes' immigration status is an essential part to their case.
Meanwhile, a judge paused for hours on Monday after Quintanilla-Reyes' lawyer said he had rejected a previous plea deal in the case.
"Essentially, by going to trial on this, even if he is found not guilty of everything, he's most likely going to serve 32 years in federal prison," Quintanilla-Reyes' lawyer told a judge on Monday.
It's unclear how long the appeals will process will take and when a new trial date could be set.
Quintanilla-Reyes pleaded not guilty to murder on June 15, as well as assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of discharging a weapon into occupied property.
Ahead of the trial, Cardenas's family wanted to spread the message against road rage.
"For one bad day or one hour you’re going to destroy someone else’s life...we don’t want this to happen again to someone else," Alfredo Cardenas said.
Federal authorities say murder suspect was here illegally
On the day of his arraignment, two weeks before the trial was set to start, Homeland Security agents arrested Quintanilla-Reyes and charged him with possessing a firearm while being illegally and unlawfully present in the United States.
According to court documents, Quintanilla-Reyes was ordered to be removed or deported from the United States on May 15, 2014. They also state that Reyes entered the United States through Hidalgo, Texas, on April 23, 2018.