SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A man accused of fatally shooting his ex-boss at the victim's Point Loma auto repair shop nearly a decade ago was Monday ruled competent to stand trial on a murder charge.
Nicolas Brito Rosales, 56, faces 50 years to life in state prison if convicted of killing 63-year-old Jalal "Joe" Abou.
Rosales was originally arraigned in late 2017, but was ruled incompetent to stand trial the following year, meaning he was found to be unable to understand the charges against him and assist his attorney at trial. He was also ruled incompetent at a bench trial in 2019.
Following his restoration to competency, a jury trial date was tentatively set for September.
On the morning of April 19, 2011, Abou was found lying in a parking lot at his Rosecrans Street business, Joe's Auto Repair.
Several good Samaritans performed CPR until paramedics took over the lifesaving attempts, but Abou -- an Iraq native and father of three who lived in Rancho San Diego -- died at the scene.
Witnesses told investigators they had seen a man parked near the auto repair business in a dark green sedan with primer spots on it prior to the shooting and spotted him driving away immediately afterward.
At the time of the shooting, Rosales hadn't been working at the victim's business for about six months, though the circumstances behind how he left the job were unclear.
