Deliberations are underway in the capital murder trial of Trevor McEuen.
McEuen is accused of fatally shooting his neighbor, Aaron Martinez, in May 2023. Prosecutors said McEuen opened fire on Martinez with a semi-automatic rifle following a crash near the victim’s property in rural Kaufman County. McEuen said the shooting was done in self defense.
Before closing arguments Thursday, McEuen was on the stand Wednesday for more than five hours talking about the shooting.
Prosecutors and McEuen’s defense rested after hearing from several witnesses, including McEuen’s father, an ex-girlfriend, a Texas Ranger and a landscaper.
A landscaper testified Martinez had hired him to work on his property and that McEuen followed his crew and tried to instigate a reaction before firing gunshots toward them from about 7 feet away.
His ex-girlfriend, also a state witness, said McEuen was abusive and violent and was constantly paranoid that people were watching him. She also said he had pointed a gun at her and fired it near her.
“It was terrifying being in a vehicle with him. He had road rage,” the woman said.
A Texas Ranger testified that McEuen alleged he was threatened, but that there were never specific details of any threat. The Ranger said he investigated McEuen’s claims that his neighbor was connected to a gang, but the man was never found on a list of people with known gang affiliations.
After both sides rested, McEuen asked to speak with Judge Shelton Gibbs IV and his attorneys. McEuen had three sheets of paper with a lot written on them, but after he kept interrupting the judge, the judge was heard saying, “This is the process. The evidence has been closed. There will be no other evidence.”
A capital murder conviction in Texas carries a punishment of either life in prison without parole or the death penalty.