Focus On Surveillance Video During Facebook Murder Trial
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Surveillance video was the focus in day 5 of the murder trial of Derek Medina.
For the first time, the jury saw the surveillance video, recorded from a camera in the home Medina and his wife Jennifer Alfonso shared in 2013.
It shows Alfonso walking in and out of the kitchen, several times, washing dishes. Then Medina comes into the kitchen. They have a physical struggle off camera.
Medina heads upstairs while Alfonso stays in the kitchen. He comes back down walks out of the camera's view and opens fire, shooting her eight times, as residue from the shots flies into the camera lens.
Alfonso's mother wept while watching her daughter's final moments on earth. Meantim, Medina kept his head down, staring at his notebook.
Prosecutors described the off-camera confrontation in court on Tuesday.
"So she's hitting her husband who just came downstairs waving a gun in her face. Medina said after he shot her a couple of times, she continued fighting him," said prosecutor Jay Scott Dunn.
The lead detective also testified that Medina had harsh words for his late wife, when he turned himself in.
Miami-Dade Police Detective Jonathan Grossman testified that within a span of about 45 seconds, Mr. Medina basically called his dead wife a "pill popping, pot smoking,crackhead, alcoholic, unfit mother."
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The jury also saw a short piece of video, taken in June of 2012, more than a year before the shooting, in which Alfonso appears to hit Medina's arm. He grabs her, nearly pulling off her sweatshirt. She pulls out of his grip, leaving the town home.
The state entered the video into evidence showing signs of a physical confrontation.The defense indicated that it showed Alfonso as the agressor.
"The video shows her striking him first correct," Defense attorney Saam Zanganeh asked the witness, Miami-Dade Police Detective Elvis Abreu.
"Yes," said Abreu."And it also shows he's easily able to leave. Let me ask this way, is my client able to keep her in the house?"
"No," Abreu responded.
The state plans to rest its case Wednesday.The defense plans to play the recorded testimony of Jennifer Alfonso's friend with whom she texted the morning of the shooting, talking about how upset she was with Medina as the two argued.
