STOCKTON — Judge Bernard Garber set a Sept. 26 date to hear a change of venue motion proposed by attorneys for Jaime Ramos and Pablo Ruvalcaba on Monday.

Ramos, 21, is facing the death penalty and Ruvalcaba, 23, faces life in prison without the possibility of parole for their suspected roles in the July 16, 2014, robbery of the Bank of the West and subsequent kidnapping and death of Misty Holt-Singh, a bank patron they took hostage during the heist.

The pair are being held without bail at the San Joaquin County Jail, charged with numerous crimes that include murder, attempted murder, robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and participating in a criminal street gang, authorities said.

The change of venue motion comes as attorneys for the two defendants search for a new litigation expert before their case goes to trial, and as forensics experts for the prosecution examine new evidence from the crime scene.

Ramos and Ruvalcaba are tentatively expected to go on trial on Jan. 17, 2017.

The pair will appear before Garber at 10 a.m. on Sept. 26 in Dept. 23 for the change of venue hearing.

— Contact reporter Wes Bowers at (209) 546-8258 or wbowers@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/bowersblog and on Twitter @WBowersTSR.