Plea deal may be in the works in murder case

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A woman accused of killing her brother in ice water at the Melting Pot restaurant could take a plea deal.

The defense attorney for 19-year-old Rebecca Hernandez-Velasco mentioned the possible deal at a pretrial conference today.

Rebecca Hernandez-Velasco and Pedro Gaucin-Canales are accused of killing 9-year-old Josue Contreras Velasco, Hernandez-Velasco's brother, last July.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that while the defense attorney said the 19-year-old may accept a plea deal, state prosecutors declined to give any details. According to charging documents, Gaucin-Canales forced the boy, called JC in papers, to get into a large garbage can, naked, while Hernandez-Velasco went to get "several buckets of ice and cold water."

Gaucin-Canales put the ice water into the garbage can with Josue, where the boy was forced to stay for approximately 45 minutes as a disciplinary measure, police say. By the time emergency crews got to the restaurant, Josue had died from hypothermia. A trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 15.

E-mail: cwall@ksl.com