One of the brothers charged with the murder of Wake County deputy Ned Byrd appeared Wednesday in federal court.
Authorities are holding Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo in Forsyth County Jail on a federal immigration detainer to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to investigate whether he is in the country legally. He's been detained there since Aug. 16.
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Marin-Sotelo waived a preliminary hearing and a detention hearing on Wednesday on a charge of possessing a gun illegally while not being a resident of the U.S.
During a July 2021 incident in Hillsborough, authorities pulled over Marin-Sotelo for driving with a fictitious tag. The incident is not related to Byrd's murder. Marin-Sotelo has yet to be indicted on that crime.
The case is set to go before a grand jury on Aug. 30.
On Wednesday, Marin-Sotelo qualified for a court-appointed attorney, a right usually reserved for those who can’t afford to hire representation.
Marin-Sotelo's attorney said Wednesday that his client makes $20,000 per month, but he is left with $4,000 after paying out employees. The attorney did not specify the source of Marin-Sotelo's income.
Along with his brother, Arturo Marin-Sotelo, Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo is charged with murdering Byrd. However, Byrd’s name did not come up in Wednesday’s hearing.
On Wednesday, a third brother also appeared in federal court. On Aug. 17, he was arrested in Winston-Salem at a traffic stop after his two brothers were detained the day before in Burke County.
The third brother's charge is regarding possession of ammo in his car and not being a legal resident of the U.S. His attorney told WRAL News that his client has nothing to do with the death of Byrd.