A Hispanic accused of killing a 14-year-old girl whose body was found in an abandoned home must stand trial on murder and other charges

Antero Salmeron Cruz, 23, is charged in the Dec. 31, 2007, death of Ahlyja Pinson. Her battered body was found in an abandoned home about five hours after she was last seen on New Year's Eve 2007. Cruz, a documented gang member, was originally arrested on Jan. 10, 2008, but prosecutors initially declined to charge him. Police said additional evidence was developed during a review of the case, and that led them to identify Cruz as being responsible for the teen's murder. He was re-arrested and charged in October 2010. Dr. Craig Nelson, a deputy medical examiner, testified that Pinson died of blunt force injuries to her head and neck. The victim was strangled, he said, and her skull was crushed. She had at least 17 cuts on her head, he said. Pinson suffered 70 puncture wounds on her body, including 40 to the head and neck. Cruz is also charged with assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run in a separate incident on Sept. 2 2010, in which he ran over a rival gang member with his car, breaking the victim's leg, according to Deputy District Attorney Kristen Spieler.