New trial date set for woman charged in connection to fatal FOP lodge stabbing

Three indicted men remain fugitives, and a reward of $2,500 is offered for information on their whereabouts.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

HAMILTON — The defense for a woman charged in connection with a fatal stabbing at a teen girl’s quinceañera has filed several motions necessitating the continuation of her scheduled summer trial date.

Sara Elena Rodriguez-Remigio, 46, is charged with tampering with evidence and obstructing justice, both felonies, in the deadly stabbing at the FOP Lodge in Hamilton in early May. In May, she was arraigned in Butler County Common Pleas Court where Judge Keith Spaeth increased her bond to $155,000. She is also being kept on a holder for ICE.

Detectives say Rodriguez-Remigio hid the knife believed to be the murder weapon.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Defense attorney Bill Abdullah entered a not-guilty plea on her behalf and declined to waive her right to a speedy trial, meaning the trial must be take place in 90 days. Spaeth set trial for July 18.

Rodriguez-Remigio was back in court Thursday where Spaeth set a new trial date for Sept. 19. Abdullah has filed a motion to suppress statements his client made to police.

Juan Antonio Hidalgo-Flores, 39; Oscar Daniel Flores-Lara,19 and Luis Eduardo Hidalgo-Flores, 18 were each indicted last week for murder, attempted murder and several counts of felonious assault for the stabbing death of 20-year-old Ivan Isreal Diaz and the assault of three others.

Hamilton Police are still searching for the trio and a $2,500 reward is offered for information that results in the arrest of each of the men.

Evidence points to one person stabbing all four victims and one firing a gun in the building, but all the suspects are complicit in the act that resulted in Diaz’ death, detectives said. Another person fired a gun in the building, but no one was hit.

The indictment is 10 pages long and contains 53 felony counts for all of the suspects. Prosecutors say Oscar Flores is the person who stabbed all four people and the other two were complicit to all the crimes.

The surviving victims ― Adan Edgardo Segoviano Hernandez, 21, of Hamilton; Joaquin Tovar, 56, of Hamilton; and Jerson Estrada Medrano, 21, of Hamilton ― were treated for severe lacerations which were not life-threatening, police said.

The stabbing incident that happened at FOP Lodge 38 on Joe Nuxhall Way on May 7 initially was reported to police as a shooting. Hamilton and Fairfield police officers and the Hamilton Fire Department were dispatched to the lodge where the quinceañera was taking place — that is a traditional birthday party on a girl’s 15th birthday celebrated among Mexican and Latinx communities and families.

According to Hamilton Police, Rodriguez-Remigio hid the murder weapon for “the suspect” and lied to a police sergeant during the investigation.

Anyone with knowledge about the whereabouts of Juan, Luis and Oscar Flores is asked to contact Hamilton police at (513) 868-5811, ext. 2002, or call 911.

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