Jury finds El Paso Airport murderer guilty, sentences him to life in prison
Update: The jury sentenced Christmann to life in prison with a $10,000 fine. The judge then dismissed the jury.
Update: The jury found Christmann guilty. Our crew was inside the courtroom as the verdict was read aloud. ABC-7 has had a reporter in the courtroom since day one of the trial.
Update: The jury is now deliberating Christmann's fate.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Both the prosecution and the defense teams have rested their case in the trial of Bernard Christmann, the man accused of murdering Juan Ramon Anzaldo in November of 2021, in the El Paso Airport parking lot.
Both sides are set to return to the courtroom and deliver their final arguments to the jury.
At the start of Thursday's proceedings, the defense was given the opportunity to call witnesses. They elected only to call one person to the stand.
The witness from the defense was Private Investigator Raymond Ortega. Both the defense and the state asked him about his investigation into the Ford F-150 that was seen on camera from the incident.
Ortega testified that it is difficult in differentiating a 2002 model, because of the similarities with the 2001 and the 2003 version of the truck.
He was also asked about his conversation with Albert Diaz, another employee working at the airport, who said he chased the person who attacked Anzaldo.
Ortega says he asked Diaz about the height of the attacker, and Diaz told him that he is 5' 8" and the attacker was shorter than him.
The defense rested, and then the state had another opportunity to call for witnesses. The state then called eyewitness Albert Diaz back to the stand.
Prosecutors asked Diaz how he was able to tell how tall the person he chased was, he showed them how he measured compared to his own height. When asked by the state's attorneys if he considers himself good at guessing height, he responded "No."
