EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — On the third day of Arturo Ortega Garcia’s trial for the 1994 murder of three El Pasoans, both the El Paso District Attorney’s Office and Garcia’s defense team presented their closing arguments in front of the selected jury.
Garcia is accused of killing Dante Santoni, 3, his mother Connie Villa, 28 and her longtime partner and Dante’s father, Rafael Santoni, 58.
ABC-7 was in the court this morning for the third day of the trial, and Garcia was seen looking back at the crowd before it began. He then paid attention to the court translator while closing arguments were presented.
Assistant District Attorneys Rebecca Tarango and Talisa Gutierrez represented the state and the El Paso D.A.’s Office, while local defense attorneys Leonard Morales and Louis Lopez represented Garcia.
Both Lopez and Morales presented during their closing arguments what they called “inconsistent evidence” presented by the DA’s Office to prove Garcia is guilty. Attorney Morales also claimed some expert witnesses presented by the state could not be used as evidence in this case.
ADA Tarango argued the state presented circumstantial evidence to prove Garcia committed the crime and will now wait for the jury’s deliberations.
More updates in later newscasts.