A murder trial begins Tuesday in the 2018 shooting of an unarmed 19-year-old on the Fourth of July by a neighbor who was upset that the teen and his friends were setting off fireworks at a Southeast Austin apartment complex.
Jason Roche, 43, is charged with murder in the death of Devonte Ortiz Jr. and has pleaded not guilty. Roche told police he shot Ortiz in self-defense after Ortiz had shoved Roche’s father to the ground. But police say cell phone video contradicts Roche’s claim because it shows Ortiz was moving backward at the time Roche shot him.
The incident received national attention because it mirrored other shootings of unarmed young black men, like Trayvon Martin in 2012. Local protesters started coming to the Travis County courthouse for Roche’s court settings to object to the $250,000 bail a judge had assigned to the case.
That prompted Roche’s lawyer at that time to file a motion to move the case outside of the county, fearing Roche could not get a fair trial if jurors were exposed to the protesters.
Roche’s new lawyer, Russ Hunt Jr., will try the case in Travis County. Opening statements begin at 9 a.m. in state District Judge Brenda Kennedy’s courtroom. A jury was picked Monday.
Roche has been unable to make bail and has been in jail since the shooting. He also is accused of threatening to shoot three men who were with Ortiz on the night of the shooting and is charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Ortiz attended Travis High School in South Austin, where he excelled on the school’s football team.
This is a developing story; check back for details.
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