HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The jury trial for a 40-year-old man accused of stabbing another man during a confrontation is getting underway in Reno County District Court.
Venancio Vigil Jr. is charged with attempted first-degree murder with an an alternate count of aggravated battery.
The victim was reportedly working undercover for law enforcement and had informed on someone with a group called the Texas Syndicate. Vigil is accused of being a part of that group and told the victim he was going to kill him because of what he did. He then allegedly began stabbing the victim, then jumped through the window at a Hutchinson home to escape. That was back on Aug. 31 of last year.
Francisco Gracia Jr. was transported by Reno County EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and underwent emergency surgery. He was then transferred to a Wichita hospital for further treatment where he was in ICU for five days.
Judge Joe McCarville, who found there was probable cause to send the case to trial, will preside over the proceedings.
Vigil remains jailed on a $50,000 bond.