Closing arguments are underway Thursday morning in Jason Roche’s murder trial in the 2018 Fourth of July shooting of 19-year-old Devonte Ortiz Jr.
Roche, 43, has been on trial all week in state District Judge Brenda Kennedy’s courtroom.
He testified Wednesday that he was defending his father when he shot Ortiz once in the side during an altercation at an apartment complex in Southeast Austin where Ortiz and his friends were setting off fireworks well after midnight.
The shooting case later caught the attention of activists in the African-American community, who linked Ortiz’s killing to what they perceived as the racially motivated deaths of other young black men around the country.
More than 30 people supporting Ortiz were in the courtroom Tuesday on the opening day of the trial and viewed two cell phone videos that recorded the killing as well as audio of Roche calling Ortiz and his companions “monkeys.”
The video also showed Roche turning and shooting Ortiz immediately after Ortiz shoved Roche’s father to the ground. The video showed Roche’s father had reached for Ortiz’s throat before the shove.
Police did not immediately charge Roche as they pieced together accounts of the shooting and spoke with witnesses. Authorities ended up obtaining an arrest warrant after concluding that the findings of Ortiz’s autopsy contradicted Roche’s statement to police. He maintained that Ortiz was reaching to the ground for a gun at the time of the shooting.
The jury could reach a verdict by the end of the day Thursday.
This is a developing story; check back for details.
Credit: Source link
