By Adam Pincus
Though no longer on the front pages, the trial of Cesar Ascarrunz, 32, accused of killing Monica Lozada, the girl's 26-year-old mother and his girlfriend, continues to wind through both criminal and family courts.Ascarrunz, a porter originally from Bolivia, is being held without bail at Rikers Island and has a court date this Thursday in Queens Supreme Court. He was arraigned on a grand jury indictment Dec. 13 on charges of murder, reckless endangerment, child abandonment, evidence tampering and endangering the welfare of a child. He faces 30 years in prison if convicted on all charges.Valery is in the temporary custody of relatives on Long Island, while a permanent resolution of where she will live is decided.Her father, Juan Carlos Saavedra, is in a Bolivian jail on drug-trafficking charges. Both Valery's maternal grandmother, Roxana Rivadineira and maternal grandmother, Ana Maria Saavedra, have indicated they would like custody of the child.Ascarrunz is also facing charges in Family Court in Jamaica, where he is to appear Feb. 17 on child neglect allegations, a spokeswoman for the Administration for Children's Services said. Though there was no date set for discussing Valery's custody, she said it was possible the child's status could be discussed at that hearing.The story of the murder that grabbed headlines for weeks developed slowly after the girl was found wandering the streets in Middle Village, her mother's boyfriend became a suspect in the disappearance of the mother and her body was discovered in a Pennsylvania dump on Oct. 6.Prosecutors allege that between Sept. 24 and Sept. 25, in his Forest Hills apartment located at 111-17 66th Ave., Ascarrunz killed Lozada and then dumped her body in the trash.After a search of several regional dumps, the mother's body was discovered and identified by the city medical examiners office as the remains of Monica Lozada.Relatives of the girl were given temporary custody of the child following a Family Court hearing Oct. 14.Reach reporter Adam Pincus by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
