Rauch Murder Trial: Day 3
Depressed, suicidal and mentally unstable. These are just some of the psychological elements brought up in reference to 51-year-old defendant Kenneth Rauch the third day of his murder trial.
Tuesday the jury heard heart-wrenching testimony from a woman who watched her 27-year-old El Paso fianc die beside her in his car outside a Las Cruces convenient store.
Wednesday Rauch?s former live-in girlfriend of 6-years, Gina Mesa, took the stand. Mesa said Rauch frequently spoke about killing himself, and said Rauch told her he wanted to actually do it, the same night he is accused of shooting and killing Euzebio Escobedo.
Forensic Pathologist Dr. Ian Paul performed Escobedo?s autopsy and said Escobedo suffered nearly one-dozen gunshot wounds.
“Starting on the left side of the head, the forehead, and right top of scalp there were six entrance gunshot wounds,? Dr. Paul said. ?In that area on the face there were three, and inside of the right arm there were two entrance gunshot wounds.”
Rauch sat motionless as witnesses revisited how April 25, 2005 unfolded.
Walmart employee Matthew Herrera said around 5:30 p.m. he sold Rauch one box of buckshot. The jury was shown store video of Rauch purchasing the single box containing five rounds of ammunition. Herrera said, that breaks down to 15-pellets per round.
Herrera said when he asked Rauch why he wanted the ammo, Rauch told him, ?It does the most damage.?
Rauch?s eyes were fixated on Mesa as she spoke about the last day they spent together as a couple. In an emotional testimony that brought tears to both the eyes of Mesa and Rauch, she said they went camping in the desert on April 25, 2005 where Rauch practiced shooting his son?s shotgun. When they returned that evening, Mesa said Rauch was crying, sad, and not acting like himself.
Mesa said Rauch told her he planned to commit suicide that night, but Mesa said she did not take him seriously because killing himself was something he talked about often.
Forensic Psychologist Dr. Eric Westfried performed multiple mental evaluations on Rauch. Westfried said Rauch suffered severe depression from the deaths of his wife, son and extended family members, and was not in the right mental state when he allegedly shot and killed Escobedo.
“And him telling me with his history of suicidality, anxiety, depression and the possible PTSD, all that came together for me with his other statements to mean he was not in control of his mood, his thought, or his behavior at the time of the shooting,” Westfried said.
Rauch pled guilty Wednesday to being a convicted felon in possession of the shotgun.
Closing arguments are expected Thursday.
