Closing Arguments End In Marmolejo Murder Trial

Both sides in the David Marmolejo trial have presented their closing arguments.

David has been charged with the July 2009 murder of his mother, Gloria Marmolejo.

Jennifer VandenBosch, Asst. District Attorney presented the closing arguments for the prosecution.

With a picture of Gloria as a backdrop, VandenBosch said, “This is Gloria Marmolejo – a beautiful person. This is how you came to know her. This is how many people came to know her. Why? (points at David) That’s why. David Marmolejo. There are many people who tried to help her…but one. One person. It’s unbelievable what he did, but if you think about it, it’s even more unbelievable what he he did afterward. For six days, he had control of the evidence…evidence that laid in the desert. Like a piece of trash, he dumped his mother.”

VandenBosch then talked about David’s video statement to El Paso Police investigators.

“Look at his video statement. He knew he’d be right here with you,” she said. “He said, ‘you’re just gonna have to prove it in court,’ and we’ve done that.”

VandenBosch also talked about the testimony of David’s stepsister and one-time girlfriend, Mariah Wilson.

“You know she loved the defendant. Why would she make this up?” VandenBosch said of Wilson’s testimony that David admitted killing his mother. “She came in here to do the right thing.”

Greg Anderson, David’s defense attorney, told the jury Wilson was the person who killed Gloria and explained what evidence he believes points to her.

As he displayed closeup pictures of Wilson’s hands, which included a cut on a finger, Anderson said, “If this were the prosecution of Mariah Wilson, this would be exhibit A – a photograph of the hands who killed Gloria Marmolejo.”

Anderson used a shoe string to show how Wilson could have killed Gloria.

“What would you do? You’d wrap it around your fingers. You might cut your fingers right there as evidenced in this photo.”

Anderson said the jurors would have a tough time coming to a verdict.

“I think you’re gonna be tested. Your soul’s gonna be tested,” he said. “The easy thing to do is go back there and find David Marmolejo guilty. But for a fair trial, your soul is gonna be tested. The only DNA evidence we have is that those blood stains in the garage was Mariah Wilson’s.”

Anderson also mentioned the soil analyzed from David’s car didn’t match the soil and sand found near Gloria in the desert.

He then talked about the phone records that prosecutors said placed David near the area where Gloria’s body was found in the Santa Teresa desert.

“Remember that so-called expert? Wasn’t it experts who threw our economy into the tank?” Anderson said. “We just can’t take an expert’s opinion and take it as gospel.”