the effect of the word someone's going to die tonight had on Alex as he lay on the floor with his face
on floor, his arms behind him,
did he will never know put together the relationship between this event and the trial the next day, but you will hear evidence from
Remington and Brianna Campos.
Remington will tell you that when he lay on the floor next to Alex, what went through his mind as he heard the shot that went into his sister's head, but well, he will tell you, is that he lay there on the floor staring at Alex Saldivar space inches away, that his face was literally His nose was into the floor, and that what he most vividly remembers after the shot into his sister's head, was the sound of Alex zaldevar hyperventilating,
and then the shot and he was dead. I
You will need to conclude whether this crime was the kind of crime intended to be, I'm sorry, was one accompanied by additional acts that show that the crime was consciousness or pitiless and was unnecessarily torturous to the victim,
and that you will,
I admit conclude from the two people who went through it and survived The last aggravating circumstance you will be asked to consider it's largely based on the evidence you've already heard. That is the Capitol felony was a homicide and was committed in a cold, calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification. And
again, that will be based on what you've already heard.
In addition to the evidence I've discussed, you will also hear evidence that we've referred to as victim impact evidence. You will hear testimony from Brianna and rowington Campos about their relationship with Alex, their thoughts, their recollections. This is given to you to just show his uniqueness as human being. You are here to decide what the punishment be, should be for the man who took his life. They'll tell you a little about about their recollections of him, their thoughts about him, and you're also going to hear from four family members, his father, stepmother, his, I believe, uncle and his his mother, and they're just going to tell you who he was. You're going to be able to see a little sort of photo montage of pictures of Alex and who he was, and what his dreams were, what he wanted to be, and the impact that this crime has had on their family. And again, this is not presented to you as an aggravating circumstance. It's simply presented to you so that you know something about the man whose murder you are deciding the sentence of you will also hear evidence in mitigation from the defense. Please listen very carefully to every bit of it. It will revolve almost exclusively about the defendant's childhood. Listen very carefully to it. It's up to you to decide what it means you will hear from a an educational expert who will talk a little about his education based on some very limited amount of school records. You will hear evidence from a psychologist who will talk to you a little about his development as a child. What you will find, however, is that no one is really going to tell you very much about bessman oak for today. In fact, it's really you'll find from the evidence, it is almost completely ignored. You may you.
Uh, you will hear from a uh, an educational expert who will talk a little about his education based on some very limited amount of school records. You will hear evidence from a psychologist who will talk to you a little about his development as a child. What you will find, however, is that no one is really going to tell you very much about bessman oak for today. In fact, it's really you'll find from the evidence, it is almost completely ignored. You may i
you, please proceed.
Please listen very carefully to everything that you hear, every witness for both sides, because in the end, it will be your job to decide whether the aggravating circumstances that we have discussed here, the fact that he was a witness, that he was murdered, to keep him from testifying, the fact that it was heinous, atrocious and cruel, the fact that it was so cold and calculated, the fact that the defendant's priors, you're going to have to decide whether all of that is sufficient to justify the death penalty, and I would submit to you that it clearly is. And then you're going to have to decide whether the mitigation that you hear, whatever it is, whether that is enough to outweigh this act that bessman Okafor chose to commit.
Thank you very much. Thank you,
Mr. Naku, do you wish to make an opening statement? And I believe you have somebody at table you want to introduce to the jury?
Thank you, sir. Thanks
Good morning, folks. I'm going to be really quick because you know why you're here. We've been going over and over it for weeks. This was a terrible murder. I'm not going to stand here and say it wasn't. Every first degree murder is a terrible murder, what you have to decide is, if this is one of those most aggravated list, least mitigated of all murders that requires you to impose the death penalty, I'm going to present several witnesses to tell you a lot more about bessman Okafor from his birth right on up through his later years. I won't even ask you if you listen closely, because I know you will, because I've been watching you for what seems like months, but it's only weeks I am going to ask you to just keep your minds open until you've heard everything, and until I get one last chance to explain to you why this testimony is important and why you should consider it. Thank you. Thank you, sir.
Call your first witness. Campos,
okay. Ms, Campos, I we're
gonna go ahead and swear her in again. I know she's you've testified previously, ma'am, but we're gonna ask you to raise your right hand. We're gonna
swear you in again. You Good morning, ma'am. Good morning. I'm
going to ask you if you would I know you've testified previously, but to introduce yourself to the jury once again and spell your name for the court reporter, first and last name, Brianna Campos, P, R, I, E N, N, A, C, A, N, E, P,
O, S, give us just a second. We're having some communications issues, wiring problem, okay, thank you.
Thank you. Good morning. Good morning.
Let me just start by. By thanking you for coming in again. Am I correct that this is the fifth time that you've testified in court? That is correct. In September, 2012 Did you ever think you'd be testifying five times about the same
thing? No, it's something for TV,
okay, but we thank you for going through it one more time. Thank you. Tell me about Alex aldevar. How. How did you know him? He was one of the best friends of my younger brother. Me and my younger brother, being a year apart in age, we pretty much share all of the same friends. And how long? And that's Brandon, yes, Brandon, how long had Brandon known Alex? I want to say about eighth going into ninth grade, all throughout high school, they were close friends. And how did Alex come to live with with you all at the house. He was just always there. Okay, now, can you tell us sort of, you know, describe him for us? Just tell us kind of who he was and what kind of person he was. He was soft spoken when you first meet him, really polite and weld mannered. As you slowly get to know him, he gets more comfortable, and then it's just jokes left and right, so you're just laughing all around him. He was extremely athletic. We did a lot of sports together, and we had free time after school. We'd go out on the boat with another friends. They would wakeboard. Alex and Brandon together play basketball a lot. Alex with his older brother RAF as well. They like to play basketball. He skateboarded, I mean, did soccer. He did everything. Now,
tell me a little bit about, pardon me,
what he was doing with his life when he was killed, he was a college student at Valencia in his first year, going for a business degree to pursue a career like his father does, and have his own business and be able to support himself. What?
What was he working also? Yes, he
was he wasn't in school. He was working part time as a busser or a server in restaurants, and if he could, he was going to job fairs to find another job. He supported himself in his own vehicle. Got his first car and paid for his own gas. He was taking care of himself and living on his own at 19. What kind of business did he want to go into? Did he ever say? Oh, not really, too, quite sure.
Now I want to jump to another subject,
after the home invasion in May. You know, there was the arrest trial was was set. Did you all appear for depositions? In other words, come together to be questioned about what happened? Yes, we all carpooled together. And you know, were you all sort of willing and eager to to do the right thing? This was an event for us, a good event to be able to be present and do this now. Did you ever talk amongst yourselves about, sort of, you told me a story? Pardon me, sort of about, about you guys kind of joked about, I'm just trying to ask a question that will direct her to a specific story. She told me, always just ask the question first, if you need to add to it, was there sort of a running joke about how all of you should react to this home invasion. Yes. The weekend before we were supposed to go to trial me, Alex Brandon and William we're all at the house, all anxious, of course, of what we're going to do in court and what it's going to be like. So I mean, we just sat there to try and calm each other down and with the nerves, just laugh it off and try and make funny jokes about what it would be like in court and things like that. And Alex wanted to be there and make sure that he could look Okafor in the face and sit and Wave at him. Say hello.
Did he actually say that? Yes,
did I thought there was something about going Scarface sustained. Was, was, was a popular gangster movie from the 80s? Ever a reference part of any of your discussions? Yes, yes, it was Alex. He enjoyed watching the movie Scarface. It's as if you've seen it, it's got a gangster role, who, to us, Okafor is a want to be, trying to become. That's why he invaded our house. So Alex would make jokes about saying hello to my little friend, just like Tony Montana does. In the movie, that's a reference. A little friend is a gun. That's the basic kid who hadn't seen the movie. Yes, but, but all in all, did Alex seem to be really looking forward to coming into court and testifying? Yes, he was all right. Now you've talked a little bit about what your what happened that night, but I want to dig a little deeper, sort of into your feelings. I know you told us that when you you were shot, what was your impression? Just repeat it again. What when you first got shot, what was the first thought that came through your head? I was shocked. The sad part is, I gave the shooter the benefit of the doubt, thinking that it was an accident, that this was maybe the adrenaline pumping, and he accidentally fired his weapon while holding us at gunpoint. So I just kind of sat there. I was quiet. I heard ringing in my ear, so I kind of, I was going to wait for that to surpass before I decided what I was going to do next. And then I heard a second shot. Let me ask you a question that you testified the gentleman had said someone's going to die tonight. What? Even after that, you still thought that it wasn't deliberate. No, I thought that was just an intimidation factor, because they were again, asking strange questions, like, this was some grow house, and it was not so I thought that was an intimidation factor to try and show some secret doorway I don't know, and I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and I was shot in the head. Now, at what point did that benefit the doubt evaporate the second gunshot that I heard and then I knew don't move, I have to play dead.
What was it like
at that moment? Can you just describe sort of what it's like to be that person that you were that night? And it's hard. You don't really have time to think, yeah, bringing in your ear, I thought I would be the only one. What? What
did you think would happen if you moved or breathed? I'd be shot again.
And would it make it. I had to get out before I bled out,
so I waited for my my chance.
Let me. Let me just jump you ahead of that.
Take you into the future. What
impact has Alex's death had on you or your family or your brothers or Your friends, You May I
Mr. Ashton, please proceed.
The question I had asked is, hey,
I just wanted if you would give me a further tilt that microphone up just a little bit. There you go. Thank you. Please proceed. The question I had asked is just if you could tell us what impact Alex's death has had upon you, your family, your friends. It shattered everyone when they first found out. I mean, the town of Ocoee is so tight knitted that everybody knows everyone, and went to school together. So it was unbelievable that, of all people, someone as beneficial to the town and society, it was Alex died that night. I mean, he had a girlfriend that he had been with for over a year, and she finds out he's gone. Have you, have you specifically seen any changes in in Brandon as a result of of Alex's death? Yeah.
And what has that been? It was
you need to take a moment that's that's fine. There's some Kleenex right over here, to your left, if you
need it was hard for me to be around my younger brother. Was it was hard for me to be around my younger brother. That was his best friend. I was able to get my older brother out like I couldn't save him. The first thing I could tell him when I seen him in the hospital was Brandon. I'm so sorry. Alex didn't make it.
He had so many close friends.
They all needed each other. They all grouped together without Alex, there, it just it's not as close as they were without Alex. It's like a whole piece was just removed and thrown away. Thank you very much. No further questions. Cross Examination.
Thank you, ma'am, you may step down. Please be very careful there, folks, you've been in here about for an hour and 10 minutes, hour and 15 we're going to go ahead and give you a break. At this time, the usual warnings, please do not discuss the case amongst themselves. Do not discuss it with anybody else. Leave your pads on your chairs, if you would, please, all rise here. Thank
you. About a 20 minute break. We'll Start up at A quarter
of You. Is The Life
Yeah, Because I
teachers as well. A Little
Bit psychopath.
To the Lord you.
A lot of I don't think that's your job.
With all due respect, I
just don't think that's your job. So
you put this on YouTube? Yeah, good way to live. No, that's okay. I'm good. Funny. Popped the microphone. Your
kids were little, you and daddy, famous. Oh, my God.
I have one. I saw him last night, nine months old, little butterball. I
Information, yeah, I heard
let him Know. I
this. Hand. I
All Right, thank I Just was tough. I
one because he
had to know all
the other. It down, but it's not passed around. He just wants to, okay, sure, I don't think anybody
broke the rules. I
Yes and Mr. Naku, all right, let's go ahead and bring our jury In. Please
Do Thank you.
All right? I
Please be seated. Mr. Ashton, call your next witness. They Call Remington campus. Okay, Mr. Campos, you
so thank you for joining us again. Remember that microphone you want to be about two to three inches from. It might raise it up just a little bit. It's a little bit low. I think. Would you tell us your full name? Spell your first and your last name, please. Remington, Campos, R, E, M, I N, G, T O, N, last name, Campos, C, A, M, P, O, S, thank you. Please proceed. Good morning. Thanks for coming back again. You've told us already about you know your involvement in this case. I just want to ask a few questions of you now. Alex zeldivar was a friend of your brother, mainly, and your sister. Were you and he close? No, I'm like, five years older than my younger brother. I was working 11 hours a day. I saw him on the weekends, but I was preoccupied. Sure. Were you aware that the trial was upcoming in September of 2012 No,
so you just you did. I
knew there was a case coming up, but not how soon or when the day was okay. You went to work and lived your life and they lived theirs. Yeah, fair statement, okay, on the night that this occurred, when you were first
aware that this was happening,
what were your thoughts? I when I was aware of, in other
words, when you, when you were first awakened and first became aware that people had come into your home. It was complete shock. I didn't know what to do. Did you? I was caught off guard at first, did you, in your mind, related at all to the thing that happened in May? Oh, yeah, instantly.
Why was that?
Just because of that's it was only what's relevant to what happened before a home invasion is a second home. Invasion. So I connected the dots. You've described already how you were taking the living room and you were placed on the floor. Were you? How close were you to Alex? Five, six inches to the to the right of him, and could you see his his were you positioned so that you could see his face? Yeah, I was laying down with my hands underneath my chest, and Alex was to my left, and he looked like he was tied up at the moment, with his head to the ground and his hands behind his back. Now, was his face positioned directly toward the ground, or was he to one side or the other, directly towards the ground, nose flat on the floor?
Is that correct? Yes,
you're laying there on the ground
when the questions start being asked about where's the other two and who's the naked guy? What is your mind processing about those things? What are you thinking?
I couldn't believe this was happening. There was really nothing going on. I was just listening when they mentioned the
where Brandon and will. Were they asked?
I knew this was something orchestrated,
and what did you think that meant for your fate? If you thought about it? I didn't. I was just trying to think see if this was a dream or not. I wasn't sure what really I was just taken out of bed, and this was so quick, I didn't know what to think at any point during this incident, did you did the thought come into your mind that you might not survive the night when the first shot was fired, When Brianna was shot, the thought of losing my sister just felt like I was being crushed alive. When you when you heard the man say, someone's going to die tonight. What did that do to your level of fear? It spiked it
and and then the shot,
the first shot, and my sister was hit, and when they asked, when someone asked, Did did you miss? Alex's breathing increased, and he started breathing really heavily into the floor. Let me ask you a question. The comment, did you miss? Was that after the first shot, later first shot, after the first shot, after the first shot, they there was, did you miss? And Alex started breathing heavily into the floor. And I turned and looked at him, Tell
us if you can
act out for us, or some way, describe how his breathing changed when that first shot was fired. Just panic and he was dreading or preparing for what was upcoming. Just a straight into the floor, and he was bracing himself. Could
you see that as you were looking at his face, I
was looking, yeah, right at him. And after the second shot his head, the shot went off, and his head pulsed, and his head just tilted, just pulsed, and went like this. And you can see the the lat, you just the sound of his breath, and yes, and the loss of life,
and how did that affect you? How does numb
did any particular person in your life come through your mind as these events are occurring? After seeing Alex, I just thought I'd never see my son again. How old was your son? Then two? And I worked on the week during the week, and I had him on the weekends, and he should have been there, but his family missed his birthday on the 31st and they were celebrating a late birthday, so he was with his grandma, and I have no doubt in my mind that let me stop you before you speculate on what might have happened. I'm sorry,
sustained as to the narrative this point
is this? What's going through your mind at these moments? That your son was supposed to be there, and what might have happened if he'd been there? Yes, what? What did that do to you? I think, what is that Like, that moment You May I
You please proceed. You've told us a little about your son, but let's move on. Were there any other thoughts that were kind of going through your head as you're laying there, you know, did you let me ask a direct question, did you think that you were next? I knew I was next. And that's when the thought of my son came into my head and and I wanted to sustain other than thinking about your son. Did any other thoughts go through your head as you were contemplating my life? I didn't. Nobody deserves to die like this, especially not Alex and my sister, Alex myself, just in an instant, gone for no reason other than green, and then the shot. And the shot, I mean, you get shot. What is the like the next thought that comes into your mind when you actually have a next thought?
If I was going blind, the
blood, there was so much blood that I it was completely covering my vision, and I didn't know I could see until I looked up and saw my sister. Let's let's jump ahead. Now I want to talk to you about what impact this crime has had that you have seen specifically upon your sister. How has this chief puts
too much responsibility? Hang on. Just sec. I'm Sorry. All right, please approach I
I proceed. Please proceed. The question was, if you could tell us what impact this has had on your sister, the responsibility that she puts on herself and for some for something that she couldn't control just kills me inside and seeing Alex and Alex family and Kyoko Rafael, Alex's older brother, Raf, just I can only begin to think of what they feel and understand it, but I had a taste when I thought I was going to lose my son.
No further questions. Thank you.
Any cross examination. Thank you, sir. Thank you so much. Let me let you step down. Please again. Be careful, calming down. Call your next witness statement. Called the Dease salad bar Do
Good morning. Good morning. Have a seat. If
you would, scoot close to that microphone. The chair does not move you can. It does lift up a little bit if you need to. Okay, all right, about two inches, maybe three at the most, if you would please, would you introduce yourself to the jury and spell your first name and your last name? My name is Denise Esperanza zaldevar. Denise d, e, n, i, s, e, Esperanza E, S, P, E, R, a, n, C, A, zaldevar, z a, l, D, I, V, A R, thank you. Please proceed. Thank you.
How were you related to Alex?
I married to Alex's uncle Richard, so he was like, my nephew. Could you just tell us a little about Alex? What kind of kid he was?
I sure can.
Alex was born on August 26 1993 this gentle soul could communicate in the most impressive ways. His mommy would tell him daily to prepare for birth, but to please spare her from pain. So he listened. Alex came into this world just as his mommy asked him to, and this calm baby slept, and he was good. This was in Japan, more exactly, and Urayasu, a suburb of Tokyo. Alex was a big boy weighing around eight pounds, and his parents knew what a special boy he was. Have you ever met a newborn who laughed on the day he was born?
That was Alex he laughed on the day he was born.
His older brother, two years older, was also the cutest thing. You must imagine the handsomeness taking over this Cuban, Japanese family, but the evident external beauty was utterly matched by His internal loveliness. And at 11 months of age, Alex left Japan to move to Florida, where he his brother and parents spent almost 10 years living close to their Cuban family. Over here, his parents called him one of the most obedient children. Well, of course, obedience doesn't equal the natural curiosity of a young child, and when Alex was around three years old, he decided to eat a Christmas ornament. His mom carefully cleaned up the mess, making sure young Alex wouldn't get hurt. But overall, Alex never got in trouble. Being such a good listener made him also a good piano player. And Alex started playing the piano when he was four years old. He also learned how to play golf when he was four, but would later on find lots of joy in playing soccer and basketball. His parents and older brother truly enjoyed having Alex in their life. Us, and so did his extended family and close friends. Since little, he was helpful and kind, very kind, compassionate and respectful, very respectful. He was funny and joyous, yet calm and sensitive. His parents have a beautiful way to express Alex's caring heart. They say Alex feels our feelings, has a lot of empathy. He never wanted to hurt or offend anyone. And when asked which parents he preferred, he would say always. He would say both. Alex would pick flowers in the garden and hand it to his mom. I
he would play outside. He would gently give them to his mom, his dad and even his brother in third grade, Alex saved his money to buy his mom a special birthday gift third in third grade, and so it was throughout the years, he insisted on giving from the heart, and his thoughtfulness was never overlooked. Alex's calm demeanor was a reflection of his highly emotional and sensitive character. He was always very close to their two dogs, Sophie and Katie, and these two pets absolutely loved and trusted Alex. All beings benefited from being close to Alex, everybody since very little, he was extremely close to his mother, Kyoko. He rarely separated from her, which triggered dedic, dedicated mom, Kyoko, to homeschool Alex for his pre K year. It was a mutual wish coming from Kyoko and Alex and his early joy for learning, she gave him and his brother the many, many hours she spent teaching them about the love for learning and reading proved to be one of the biggest gifts that both boys were given by mom. Kyoko Alex started kindergarten at St Andrews Catholic School, where he excelled always making himself and his loved ones proud of always being an honorable student. He was a really good person. His parents remember maybe a B, here and there, and Alex just knew that hard work and dedication could not be negotiated. Summers were spent having a lot of fun outside, and the boys appreciated the summer education. Afternoons, their mom prepared for them. They got books. They practiced reading, writing and learning new skills. His older brother was equally an exemplary student, and his love for books and education guided Alex in understanding how valuable this was. This encouragement for learning and excelling did pose a challenge for dad. Raphael, though, boys still got in a little bit of trouble every now and then. Thank goodness, nothing major, but punishments became a bit harder. No TV that would say that wasn't a problem for Alex and his brother, the boys would just read the books they were good. Ralph and Kyoko would scratch their heads and then would say, no video games. That wasn't a problem. The boys would just read the books. Ultimately, Dad would have to say, no books. I'm sorry. And that was indeed the worst punishment for them. That joke saying that it was like we had to leave them with nothing in the room, not even books. But they enjoyed each other. Companies that was very, very important. In 2003 Alex and his family moved back to Tokyo. It was time for a new adventure to begin for the family. Alex was about to start fifth grade at a very nice international school in Tokyo. This was a very rigorous school, but there was no doubt that Alex adapted very well. Alex and his brother loved living in Tokyo as a young teenager, both of them actually enjoyed being with friends, and together, they explored Tokyo, which allowed Alex to learn and live his Japanese culture given to him by his mom. The years in Tokyo presented the boys with opportunity to go snowboarding, water rafting, to play basketball and soccer with friends, much more traveling and which was something so cool for the boys experience the latest Japanese electronics that we didn't even have over here. It was like a little joke in our family. Here come the Japanese boys back to Orlando, bringing all the new gadgets we didn't even know about, we always received them with open arms. It was always a pleasure when they came to visit us. Alex's parents fondly remember how Alex took part in a rice planting project on a Japanese rice field, and how this heart filled with joy when he later donated rice bowls to the homeless. It was always a kind heart that guided Alex's interactions with anybody who crossed paths with him. After four years at the International School, Alex and his brother RAF came back to Orlando, to Florida, and attended mount verd Academy in preparation for their soon to come. College years, Alex completed ninth grade at this well structured boarding school where he made great friends and learned a lot. He then finished high school. His high school years at Ocoee high school, being once again close to friends he grew up with and spending a very special time with his uncle George and his Tia Libby, they lived together for a while when asking Alex what he wanted to be, what he wanted to study, one day, he was smart. He knew the world we live in nowadays is very competitive and hard work, dedication and no nonsense, approach to studies is necessary. I'm certain he thinks his mom. He thanks his mom for all the years she coached him and his brother in learning to love education. Alex started his college years in 2011 at Valencia, still young and in need of explore, exploring what career choices were going to present themselves. He opted for a business degree. At first, he was taking classes in finance and other business subjects. Eventually, Alex wanted to start out in the corporate world, maybe in banking, but ultimately, he didn't want to work for anybody. He wanted to be a leader and be free to make his own decisions and create goodness in this world. Again, at Valencia, friends were captivated by his funny, loving sense of humor. Did you know Alex was a marvelous impersonator. He would impersonate his mom and dad all the time, and it gives me great joy to share this with you, as we actually have quite a few great impersonators in the family, maybe he would have gone into the impersonation business comedy. He knew that he was the only one that could put limits to whatever the future could bring him. He was very smart this year, actually, in 2012 Alex started his first job at Texas Roadhouse. He was bussing tables, and his dad picked him up from his day, first day of work, and asked, How was your first day? Alex looked at him and said, What kind of question is that it was horrible. Alex's naive perception of the extremely hard and unglamorous work in the restaurant industry didn't stop him, though. He stayed to save money. He stayed to work close to his friends. He had a close friend that worked with him, but he was always ready for change and growth. In July, his uncle and I took him and his dad out to lunch.
That was the last time I saw him,
where we brainstormed together a way of getting Alex into additional opportunities. He was so handsome, we said, Alex, there's no limit for you. You know, you want to explore TV journalism, being on TV, modeling, fashion. You have the brains and the looks. We used to tell him all the time,
everything he had everything in his favor,
and he even did some modeling and acting in Japan. He appeared in a TV production of The Secret Garden, and that was the time he asked his parents to try out some acting and modeling. Two weeks ago, before Alex was killed, he had started another job. This time, he was a server at jinza Japanese restaurant. When his dad asked him about his first day, then he was happy to report smiling and giving his thumbs up, $70 he often laughed with his dad about jokes or silly stories, and his smiling face is how his parents want to always picture Alex. That's how we always picture him as well. The world would have tremendously benefited if Alex was still with us. He had everything to be one of the best citizens that I would have known, everything from a kind heart to the possibility that he allowed his mind to conceive for him a bright future. And this chance was not given to him, it was taken away from him. So we lose a great citizen, and we should never lose great citizens. Yes, we need great citizens in this world. Just have one question for you. Yesterday was Alex's birthday? Yes, how old would you been? He was 19 when he was shot. That was in 2012 so it would have been 22 he would have been 22 Yeah, so young. Nothing further, any cross examination.
Thank you, ma'am. You may step down. Please be very careful on the steps.
Calling your next witness. Richards out the bar.
Raise your right hand, sir. You
sir, thank you for joining us. Thank you. Want to be about two inches from that microphone, if you would, would you introduce yourself to the jury and spell your first name and last name, please. My name is Richard zaldwar, R, I, C, H, A, r, d, z, a, l, D, I, V, A, R, thank you. Please proceed. Good morning. Morning. How were you related to Alex? Alex's uncle and your the husband of Denise that just testified, yes, okay, she very eloquently described, Alex. Is there anything you'd like to add? Yes, she pretty much summed it up. But we miss Alex. Great young man. It's very special. From the beginning, you rarely find someone who's half cute and half Japanese in this world. He was very smart. He was very loving. He loved being around his uncle driving my car at fast speeds. I see, we were going to take care of his modeling. We spoke to him at a lunch, and we wanted him to grow with that, because he was so handsome and so smart, and we thought he had a bright future in that.
Alex loved being around his brother,
around his mom, around his dad. You
need to take a moment. We could you want to? Is there anything else you'd like to say he loved he really loved life.
He loved his family so much.
The thing he loved most, the thing he loved most, was living. He loved to live. That's all right. Thank you very much, sir. Any cross examination?
Thank you. Thank you, sir, thank you.
Call your next witness. Yes. Next witness be keoko zadivar, okay.
You. Thank you, ma'am. I am going to need you to lean into that microphone a little bit. The chair does not move, and you might want to move it down just a little bit. It's a little bit high for you. Would you introduce yourself to the jury and spell your first name and your last name, please? My name is Kyle gozaliberg, K, O, C, A, the now, please proceed. I believe you. You are Alex's mother. Is that correct? Yes, okay, and I believe you, you indicated you prefer just to read a statement that you prepared. Okay, please go ahead.
I want to thank the code for giving me the opportunity to speak to you. Old today, I feel the presence of God. Came into this courtroom, and Alex prays with me right now, and right here, I'm the mother of Alex. I lost my son September 10, 2012 this has been excruciating time for me because loss of my son Alex, and because I believe Alex life is a gift from God. His life was sacred. Alex was a wonderful son that every mother hoped for he was a thoughtful, compassionate, loving brother when I was sad. He always comforted me when I was happy. He was he gave me a big smile when I needed help. He was always there for me. That's myself, Alex. He cared for others more than himself. Oh, the friend said they had never met such a genuine person. He truly was a light of hope to others. His friends, visit Alex grave from time to time, and I can feel they have great pain in their heart from the dead as they leave, a mother always feels what their children feel. And the day Alex died, a piece of me died with me. Die with him. I had vision that Alex was crying. He didn't want to go. That's why he was showing me his tears. I really wanted, he really wanted to live his life. So many days I couldn't sleep, so many days I cry and I cry unto God, because I miss him so much. I need him in my life myself. Sadness never goes away. I smile, but my heart is always heavy. Alex was excited working his new job, and he was saving money for his new car. He was planning to major in business, and told me he liked his professors and was serious about finishing his education and moved forward with his life.
Everything was going right direction.
I was excited for him to graduate, but I will never see this thing happen. Alex loved his brother very much, and they were going to start playing golf again. I wish that could happen for him. I really do, because his brother misses so much. Every mom knows how he appears to be proud of their child. I was so proud of my son, Alex, just being himself. He was my treasure. I used to tell him and both of my children. As his mother, I could go on and with large and small stories of his life, but what I have said to you is the essence of my son, Alex. I wish he was here, because yesterday was his birthday. He will be 22 years old and healthy to all very handsome young men. I love you. You.
You any cross examination.
Thank you, ma'am. Thank you very much. Please be very careful stepping down who will be your next witness? Rafael zadivar, let me take a short break at this point, if I could, folks, it's 1125, we want to send you to lunch about noon, but let me give you a five minute break at this point. If you would please do not discuss the case. Leave your pads on the chairs. Would be a very short break. I. All right, good.
Be five minutes, please. I'm just going to queue up the yes Sir, for a recess for five minutes.
I'm Could you come help me figure out where the we already? Oh, is that? That part? Right there? Just for Alex, okay, I see what you're saying. So close to you right now, it's a false fear where my heart found.