Jurors in Mendiola Murder Trial shown police dash cam video
The defense in the Alberto Mendiola murder trial presented jurors with a 40 minute dash cam video of Mendiola being questioned by police as he was taken into custody.
Mendiola is accused of breaking into his estranged wife’s home in 2014, then shooting and killing 30-year-old Anthony Bowler, a friend she had just met.
During the dash cam video presented Tuesday, Mendiola mumbled words and phrases that were hard to comprehend. At one point Mendiola, wearing camouflage pants and black T-shirt says, “She really (expletive) me over putting a restraining order on me. I (expletive) went to war for her ass. I (expletive) lost it. I’ve got PTSD and she (expletive) me up.”
The officer pressed Mendiola about why he lost it: “I (expletive) up man. That’s all you need to know. Something evil. This time I finally felt it. My soul took off. All that shit finally built up in me and I lost it. I just (expletive) blanked out man. I was in (expletive) combat.”
The officer then asked Mendiola who he was in combat with? The former soldier replied, “Really myself. I did some shit I shouldn’t of. Some bad shit. My family has let me down, everybody. I can’t (expletive) think straight.”
Mendiola is then heard telling the officer he has a disability. “70 percent PTSD. I have it bad man. I saw everybody die every day. After all that shit I came back home. I did some bad shit, some very bad things. I’m not at peace,” Mendiola said.
When asked why he messed up by officer, Mendiola replied, “Too many mental problems man. I have no idea. The VA offered to help. I should have taken that. I’m on a (expletive) roller coaster.”
At one point, Mendiola is asked if he fired his M4? He answered, “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s just hard to talk about some things.”
When asked if he hurt somebody, Mendiola answered, “Yeah.”
“Really bad?” the officer asked.
Mendiola answered, “I’m so (expletive) lost right now.”
Later, the officer is heard asking, “Do you know who the guy was?”
Mendiola is overheard saying, “Looked to me like he was (expletive) my wife.”
On Monday, the defense argued Mendiola’s first-hand experiences in combat contributed to his post traumatic stress disorder and temporary insanity that made him kill Bowler.
