Woman Charged in Woodland Husband Killing Case Finally Arraigned
Almost three weeks after she allegedly shot her husband to death, the woman charged with the crime finally pleaded not guilty on August 21 in Yolo Superior Court.
Susan Kathleen Hoskins’s arraignment had been delayed three times. She had requested representation by an attorney with the Yolo County Public Defender’s Office. However, a Public Defender Officer determined that Hoskins, 59, a Woodland Healthcare nurse, did not qualify for representation by a Public Defender.
Hoskins then secured the services of Shannan Dugan, a lawyer from San Francisco. Dugan made her first appearance in court on August 21, representing Hoskins at her arraignment. Dugan stood beside Hoskins in court when the accused made her not guilty plea. She also denied an enhancement for “intentional and personal discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury” on her husband Bryan Hoskins, 60.
After Hoskins’s plea was finally entered, Dugan and Deputy District Attorney Ryan Couzens argued over scheduling a preliminary hearing on the case. “Obviously, I am very new to the case,” Dugan said. She suggested she and Couzens participate in a prehearing conference before the preliminary hearing. This would give Dugan time to read all the documents related to the case. Couzens disagreed with this scenario, stating that California Penal Code requires a speedy preliminary hearing.
Yolo County Court Commissioner Janene Beronio listened as the attorneys went back and forth on the issue. Couzens pointed out several times that Hoskins’s arraignment had already been delayed; Dugan reiterated she needed more time. Finally, Beronio scheduled a prehearing conference on the case for August 27.
Hoskins remains lodged in Yolo County Jail without bail.
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