Two men arrested on suspicion of killing Patterson resident Robert Ruvalcaba in Modesto in December had their pretrial delayed once again this week.

Modesto attorney Frank Carson, who appeared on behalf of murder suspects Juan Manuel Tello, 26, of Modesto, and Alexander Hernandez Lopez, 25, of Salida, asked Judge Thomas Zeff for more time Wednesday, June 27, as the prosecution and defense were still gathering evidence in the case. The next pretrial hearing is set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 2.

Police found Ruvalcaba’s body Dec. 16 in an alley between Martin Luther King Boulevard and North Madison Avenue in Modesto shortly after receiving a 7:24 p.m. report about a man down. Several people who knew Ruvalcaba have said he was lured to the alley after stopping at a nearby home and he was shot several times in the face, but police have not given any details.

Both Tello and Lopez have been charged with murder, as well as cultivating hashish or marijuana for sale. Both defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges in February.

Bail for both suspects has been set at $2 million each.