The man accused of fatally shooting his VTA coworker, allegedly over a gambling debt, appeared in court for the first time Wednesday.
Duc Minh Bui did not enter a plea and will remain behind bars without bail.
Bui, a VTA bus driver, is accused of shooting to death fellow bus driver Regulus Teotico in a VTA bus yard in San Jose last Friday.
Prosecutors said they have strong evidence against Bui.
"We have a witness who was present near the scene of the crime and there is a CCTV camera at the VTA parking lot where this happened which captured some of the events," Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney Michael Gilman said.
According to a report by sheriff's office investigators, Teotico told another person he planned to meet Bui, who was going to give him money, and even asked that other person to go with him to make sure things went smoothly. According to the report, Bui walked to the passenger door of Teotico's car, opened it and shot him three times.
Prosecutors said the motive for the shooting appears to be a dispute over thousands of dollars from a gambling debt.
"The information we have is that there was gambling, betting on college football and NFL football," Gilman said. "The investigation is still ongoing as to how long that went on for."
Prosecutors said deputies issued a search warrant at Bui’s home and found three registered firearms. He now faces a murder charge and special allegations for using a firearm. He will return to court to enter a plea in December.
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Prosecutors said if convicted of the murder charge and special allegations, Bui could face 50 years in prison.
Teotico was a father of two teenage children and had worked at VTA for 10 years. His coworkers described him as friendly and generous.
