A jury trial has been set for the Aztec woman accused of shooting and killing her husband, and Lucia Naranjo will remain in custody until the trial, after reportedly testing positive for drug use.

Naranjo, 69, allegedly shot Richard Patterson, 67, in the head on Jan. 21 at the couple’s home on County Road 3016. She was arrested and then released from custody to pretrial services, but on Feb. 14 tested positive for cocaine. This led to a hearing and a setting for a speedy jury trial beginning Aug. 7 in the 11th Judicial District Court.

When Naranjo was arrested the San Juan County District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to hold her in jail until her trial, so the case was moved to district court, and a hearing was set on Feb. 5 in front of former District Judge Karen Townsend, who recently retired.

Townsend decided to grant Naranjo a release from custody after the hearing, when Assistant District Attorney Keith Mandelski said, “I don’t believe she is a danger to anyone else.”

Townsend agreed stating that she didn’t believe Naranjo was “a danger to anyone other Richard Patterson and that is what she’s being charged with.”

Naranjo was granted a release from the San Juan County Detention Center on Feb. 6. She was ordered to wear a SCRAM monitor and a GPS monitor under the supervision of Pretrial Services, whom she had to check in with weekly. She also was ordered to remain at her home between the hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. and to deliver all firearms to the estate of Richard Patterson, court records state.

Naranjo checked in Feb. 14 with Pretrial Services and tested positive for cocaine. A hearing considering her conditions of release was set for March 7.

During that hearing, Bree Lee, who was monitoring Naranjo under Pretrial Services, stated that she told Naranjo she tested positive, and the woman reportedly told her she “didn’t know what that is,” according to the audio log notes.

Then, in a phone call, Lee stated that Naranjo told her “she found her husband’s cookies and stash,” the audio log notes state.

Naranjo testified during the hearing and stated that her husband “frequently used cocaine and I would ask him why and he said, ‘because it makes me feel better,’ and I wanted to feel better.”

“I wanted to feel better from my husband being gone not to get to mourn for him, not to get to say goodbye all the things I’ve done and impacted my family on both sides,” she said.

Naranjo said she was not able to go to the funeral services for Patterson. “I thought it needed to be about him not me. I wasn’t invited. I didn’t know the time so I guess I couldn’t have gone and I did not.”

Naranjo told the court that she was a nurse for 40 years and understands that she should seek mental health services from Presbyterian Medical Services, because she has “seen the big difference for the people who use those services.”

Naranjo also stated that she was on Prozac before being arrested.

Naranjo’s mental state has been called into question when Lee stated that Naranjo’s “mental faculties vary” and a behavioral health analysis has been ordered, the audio log notes state.

“In my experience in my position, I have seen clients have improvements having a behavioral health analysis and receiving services,” said Mallory Goddoy, program manager of pretrial services.

Despite the mental health concerns, Townsend said she was concerned that Naranjo used drugs shortly after being told not to, when she was released from jail.

Townsend stated that there “is clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions” of release would ensure compliance from the defendant, and she also was concerned about “the safety of others is she is released.”

Mandelski brought up the fact that a preliminary hearing had not been set for Naranjo, so Townsend waived the preliminary hearing and set the case for a three-day jury trial beginning Aug. 8.

Naranjo will face a charge of second-degree murder for Patterson’s death and a third-degree charge of tampering with evidence in connection to her allegedly removing and attempting to hide white socks.

Court records state that the socks had “noticeable discoloration marks which looked consistent with blood.” Naranjo reportedly “placed them in the back of pants,” concealing them, according to the affidavit for arrest warrant.

When authorities asked about the location of the socks, Naranjo reportedly “looked with a blank stare for a moment and did not verbalize where the socks were. ”However, she later “removed them from the back of her waistband of her pants”and turned them over, the affidavit states.

Naranjo has entered a plea of not guilty to all charges.