Monday, Feb. 8, 2016 | 3:16 p.m.
A woman accused of shooting her husband dead in front of their son in a downtown Las Vegas hotel room on Christmas Eve spared the boy from having to testify against her on Monday.
Maria Andrea Escalante waived a preliminary hearing and will face trial in state court on murder and child endangerment charges in the slaying of 48-year-old David Timothy Cordova.
"Nobody wants to put a 9-year-old on the stand to talk about what happened between his father, who's deceased, and his mother, who's in jail," said Norm Reed, Escalante's court-appointed defense attorney.
Escalante, 34, told police she was abused by Cordova. Reed said she'll plead not guilty at arraignment Wednesday and may argue that she was defending herself.
Escalante was arrested shortly after the shooting at the Plaza Hotel and Casino, is being held without bail at the Clark County jail in Las Vegas.
The Clark County coroner says Cordova was shot in the chest. Authorities said the boy wasn't hurt, and is now living with relatives.
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