NEW THIS MORNING – Convicted Child Killer Back In Court
By ABC-7 Reporter Darren Hunt
EL PASO, Texas – The man convicted of the brutal murder of a 5-year-old El Paso girl went back to court Tuesday. David Renteria was sentenced to death in 2003, but due to a technicality in his first trial, he was granted a resentencing trial, which began Tuesday in Judge Mary Anne Bramblett’s 41st District Court.
If Day 1 of Renteria’s resentencing trial is any indication, this trial, like the first, could take weeks to complete.
The pace and detail on the opening day showed that the prosecution’s intent on bringing to light, once again, all of the details of the brutal murder of Alexandra Flores on November 18, 2001.
Led by District Attorney Jaime Esparza, the prosecution argued during opening statements that Renteria should once again be sentenced to death for abducting Flores from an eastside Wal-Mart then trying to burn her body to destroy evidence.
Renteria was convicted the first time on the basis of a matching palm print lifted from a plastic bag that was found over Alexandra’s head.
In court Tuesday, three fingerprint experts testified and then showed the jury that palm print. The jury was also shown several crime scene photos of Alexandra’s burned body.
Some jurors were visibly shaken, but none as much as members of Alexandra’s family, like her aunt, who had to leave the courtroom after bursting into tears.
“The minute we knew that we had to be here again, and have to go through everything again, it was very sad,” Flores’ aunt, Perla Sanchez told ABC-7. “Hopefully this time will be the last time.”
Defense attorneys contended that Renteria was not given an opportunity to show a statement of remorse during the first trial, which they say could have helped him avoid the death penalty.
Day two of the trial, which is expected to start with video evidence of Alexandra’s abduction from the Wal-Mart, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
ABC-7 will be in the courtroom Wednesday and will bring you the latest information throughout the day on KVIA.com and ABC-7.
