PORTLAND, Ore. -- A Washington County family will have to relive the hardest days of their lives since beloved family member Gonzalo Pizano was brutally murdered 18 years ago.
Gonzalo’s sister, Edith Pizano, said her brother was well-loved.
“When I remember my brother, I remember happiness,” she said.
Now she will have to relive memories of his death and the trial of his killers.
One of the men convicted in his death, Rafael Mora-Contreras was sentenced to life without parole for aggravated murder, murder and first-degree kidnapping. He has won an appeal for a retrial.
In court documents, Mora said a leg brace and a stun belt he was wearing prevented him from talking with ease to his lawyer during the trial.
“He told this judge that he was afraid that it was going to go off at any given moment and that he didn't feel like he was communicating with his attorney properly and therefore he didn’t have a fair trial,” Pizano said.
What's unfair, she says, is not just that he gets a second chance, but that her family was never told about the updated status.
“The biggest thing for us is that our rights as citizens were violated. We were told at the very beginning that the Department of Justice, the victims' advocate, were going to notify us every time there was an appeal.”
But she said none of that happened.
“Why didn’t they contest to that. Where were we? That’s the big question and we want answers,” said Pizano.
Mora is expected back in court for his arraignment on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. She said the whole family plans to show up.
Edith Pizano remembers her brother as someone who loved to dance, and who was popular.
“Everybody loved him. Everybody enjoyed being around him,” she said.
But back in 2000, at age 20, her brother was murdered.
“My brother was kidnapped. My brother's car was burned. My brother was tortured. My brother was stabbed and he was shot multiple times, including a slit in the throat,” said Pizano.
Two men were convicted in his murder. One of them was Mora. Gonzalo was going to marry Mora's sister, but Mora wasn't about to let it happen.
“Rafael did not want my brother, never liked my brother, had threatened my brother. My brother loved her so much that he didn’t care,” said Pizano. "His love for this girl was true and pure and he didn’t care that these threats were there."
She said the marriage was the sole reason her brother was killed. The wedding was planned for September. Gonzalo was murdered in July.
“We had to bury my brother in a coffin with a wedding dress, with everything that was ready for him to get married.”