Tai Chan Trial: Witnesses say deputies ordered drinks, argued hours before killing
Jurors in the Tai Chan murder trial got a better idea of what alcohol, and how much, two deputies consumed the night of a deadly shooting.
Chan is charged with First Degree Murder. He’s accused of shooting and killing his partner, Jeremy Martin, after a drunken night on the town. Police say the two were staying in Las Cruces on their way back home to Santa Fe after dropping off a prisoner in Arizona.
Wednesday, witnesses testified the men had drinks at two local bars before heading back to their hotel room for the night.
Earnest Venegas, a bartender at Dublin’s Street Pub, said Chan and Martin were ordering drinks with two other men and a woman the night of the shooting.
The prosecution showed two receipts from the bar. One of the receipts, paid for by Chan, showed 7 orders of vodka red bull and 3 pints of beer. Another receipt showed 4 shots of fireball and 2 beers.
The witnesses from Dublin’s were unclear of how many drinks Chan and Martin consumed.
Dublin’s General Manager testified he overheard an argument between Chan and Martin while at the bar. The witness said it looked like the two made up after a few minutes.
“You could see Tai Chan just shaking his head left and right a little bit and then every once in a while Mr. Martin would just like clap him on the back in a friendly manner,” Charles Hirtzel said. “Honestly it looked like someone who was consoling a friend over losing a girlfriend or something.”
The men went back to their hotel, but that’s where prosecutors say things took a deadly turn. They say Chan shot Martin 5 times in the back. Chan’s defense argues self-defense.
Las Cruces Police Officer Michael Leftault told jurors when he arrived on scene, Chan was acting out of the ordinary. Leftault said Chan claimed he had been robbed. He also said there was a bomb inside the hotel and was demanding officers check on his parents, according to Leftault. The officer also recalled Chan saying he shot Martin in self defense and that it was “a life changing experience”.
If convicted, Chan faces life in prison.
