Trial Continues For Man Alleged To Have Killed Woman While Street Racing
The El Paso County man accused of killing a mother and injuring her two children while he was allegedly street racing is hoping the jury will find in his favor.
Both the state and the defense rested for the day on Wednesday.
Testimony on Wednesday included how the victim, 21-year-old Ana Elva Morales, died.
Former El Paso County Medical Examiner Paul Shrode testified that Morales was “pinned partially out of the vehicle” and she died of positional asphyxia.
Shrode also wrote on his autopsy report that Morales had been hit by someone who was racing.
That person is suspected to be 22-year-old Jose Aaron Garcia.
Also, a paramedic who was in the ambulance with Garcia testified that on the day of the crash in July 2008 that the “patient said he was racing on Socorro Road when an SUV got in the way. Patient stated he was traveling at 110 miles per hour.”
But the defense argued that Garcia didn’t say that to the paramedic because he was unconscious.Garcia’s girlfriend testified he later told her he wasn’t lucid.
“Everything was so fast and he just saw black and he started seeing his grandmother and I thought that was strange because his grandmother is dead,” said Laura Carmona, Garcia’s girlfriend.
The defense argued that Shrode and the paramedic had no business writing Garcia was speeding in their reports.
Garcia’s attorney also said that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office can’t be sure how fast Garcia was going because they didn’t get the part of the engine that indicated that.
“If we would’ve gotten that black box, and they would’ve done their job correctly, we would’ve found the speed was much less and I think the DA is relying on the fact that this was a horrible, horrible accident and this woman died a horrible death,” defense attorney Frank Macias said.
The prosecution did not want to go on camera.
Garcia is also charged with injury to a child since Morales’ children were in the car with her.
The state also showed pictures ot them after the crash – both of them with bruises. One of the jurors cringed when the photos were shown.
