AlternateJuror

Nearly three years after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico film set of “Rust,” actor Alec Baldwin is set to stand trial. Mr. Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter for his role in the deadly incident that also injured the film’s director, Joel Souza. Alec Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene on Oct. 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Mr. Baldwin has maintained in multiple interviews that he did not pull the trigger and that the gun misfired a bullet. However, in 2022, results from FBI testing of the .45-caliber Colt prop revolver stated that the weapon would not have gone off without the trigger having been pulled. Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement charge. However, the firearm enhancement charge was eventually dropped. It reduced his potential prison sentence by five years. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for overseeing the weapons on set, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in April and is currently serving an 18-month jail sentence. Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was called upon to testify in Baldwin’s upcoming trial, but she asserted her Fifth Amendment right not to answer any questions about Baldwin during her pretrial interview in May. It is unclear if she will testify if called to the stand. David Halls, the assistant director on set who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, is expected to take the stand. In interviews, Mr. Baldwin maintained that Mr. Halls declared the weapon “cold,” meaning it had no live ammunition before it was handed to Mr. Baldwin. The trial is expected to last 8 days. Dear Sweet Baby Jesus is from The Glarer— www.youtube.com/@TheGlarer

Nearly three years after the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the New Mexico film set of “Rust,” actor Alec Baldwin is set to stand trial. Mr. Baldwin is charged with involuntary manslaughter for his role in the deadly incident that also injured the film’s director, Joel Souza. Alec Baldwin was rehearsing for a scene on Oct. 21, 2021, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, when the gun went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza. Mr. Baldwin has maintained in multiple interviews that he did not pull the trigger and that the gun misfired a bullet. However, in 2022, results from FBI testing of the .45-caliber Colt prop revolver stated that the weapon would not have gone off without the trigger having been pulled. Baldwin was initially charged with involuntary manslaughter and a firearm enhancement charge. However, the firearm enhancement charge was eventually dropped. It reduced his potential prison sentence by five years. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for overseeing the weapons on set, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence. She was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in April and is currently serving an 18-month jail sentence. Ms. Gutierrez-Reed was called upon to testify in Baldwin’s upcoming trial, but she asserted her Fifth Amendment right not to answer any questions about Baldwin during her pretrial interview in May. It is unclear if she will testify if called to the stand. David Halls, the assistant director on set who pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of negligent use of a deadly weapon and was sentenced to six months of unsupervised probation, is expected to take the stand. In interviews, Mr. Baldwin maintained that Mr. Halls declared the weapon “cold,” meaning it had no live ammunition before it was handed to Mr. Baldwin. Jury selection begins July 9. The trial is expected to last 8 days.

Today, Lamar Johnson takes the stand. He has maintained his innocence since the incident happened in October 1994. Once he is finished testifying the state will call their first witness, Det. Nickerson. He is the detective who investigated the murder of Marcus Boyd. Lamar Johnson was found guilty and sentenced to life in the murder of Marcus Boyd in July 1995. The judge will decide if Mr. Johnson's guilty verdict should be vacated and give Mr. Johnson his freedom or keep Mr. Johnson in prison.

Lamar Johnson was convicted of murdering 25-year-old Marcus Boyd on October 30, 1994. He was sentenced to life in prison on September 29, 1995. Since day one, Mr. Johnson has maintained his innocence and seeks to overturn his guilty verdict. We heard testimony from an eyewitness who has recanted his statement. Today we will watch testimony from the prosecutor who tried the case against Mr. Lamar.

Lamar Johnson was convicted of murdering 25-year-old Marcus Boyd on October 30, 1994. He was sentenced to life in prison on September 29, 1995. Since day one, Mr. Johnson has maintained his innocence and seeks to overturn his guilty verdict. Today, we will resume Mr. Elking's testimony. He is the eyewitness who has recanted his statement testifying on Lamar Johnson's behalf.

Today, we wrap up Mr. Johnson's hearings and hear the judge's decision. We start by finishing Det. Nickerson's testimony. We watched the first part of his testimony on Wednesday. During his testimony, we watched Judge Mason aggressively question him about how Mr. Elking picked Lamar from a photo lineup. He also asked Det. Nickerson how the photo lineup was assembled, and what Mr. Elking told him about any physical characteristics he saw of the two assailants while the crime was being committed. After nearly 30 years will Lamar be set free or sent back to prison for the rest of his life?

During day three of the trial, we heard from some of the crime scene investigators, tool mark experts, the medical examiner, and the investigator in this case. No one has yet placed a weapon in Oscar's hands. Today we will hear closing arguments and see what the verdict is. As I've said many times throughout this short trial, charge them all, or don't charge any of them. Jerry Ortiz fired the rounds that took two lives and faces no charges. Oscar has maintained he didn't hold or fire a weapon and is being charged with taking both lives. On February 21, 2022, Oscar Martinez III, then 19, along with Joshua Mejia, then 17, as well as three of Joshua's younger siblings allegedly robbed Jerry Ortiz, then 17, who met them at a convenience store to buy marijuana. Jerry Ortiz was reportedly robbed at gunpoint, he handed over the drugs and his shoes, before Christopher Mejia, 14, emerged from the SUV, tried to take Jerry Ortiz's gun, and was shot by Ortiz. Christopher Mejia was critically wounded and passed away shortly after that. Enrique Venegas Bocanegra, 66, was in his home making lunch when he was struck by a stray bullet and passed away from his injuries. Both bullets were fired from Jerry Ortiz's gun. Although Oscar Martinez never fired his gun, the state of Texas originally charged him with capital murder, along with the three other juveniles in the SUV. That would mean life in prison if convicted. Eventually, the charges were reduced to murder, times 2, and aggravated robbery.

I apologize for the delay in finishing up this trial. As most of you know, my first grandchild, Madison, was born June 27th. We will finish this trial up either today or Wednesday. I will cut to the Karen Read trial should the jury return with their verdict while I'm streaming. During days one and two we heard testimony from the first responders who arrived on scene, and Jerry Ortiz. It was the rounds fired from Jerry Ortiz's weapon, which was fired 10 times, that took the lives of Christoper Mejia and Enrique Venegas Bocanegra. It was revealed during Mr. Ortiz's testimony that the capital unaliving charges were DROPPED. He faces NO prison time for his actions yet, Oscar Martinez faces significant prison time and allegedly never fired one round. The driver of the SUV, and brother to Christopher Mejia, pleaded guilty and is serving 20 years. We also heard testimony from one of Joshua's brothers, who received an immunity deal from the state a couple of days before testifying. On February 21, 2022, Oscar Martinez III, then 19, along with Joshua Mejia, then 17, as well as three of Joshua's younger siblings allegedly robbed Jerry Ortiz, then 17, who met them at a convenience store to buy marijuana. Jerry Ortiz was reportedly robbed at gunpoint, he handed over the drugs and his shoes, before Christopher Mejia, 14, emerged from the SUV, tried to take Jerry Ortiz's gun, and was shot by Ortiz. Christopher Mejia was critically wounded and passed away shortly after that. Enrique Venegas Bocanegra, 66, was in his home making lunch when he was struck by a stray bullet and passed away from his injuries. Both bullets were fired from Jerry Ortiz's gun. Although Oscar Martinez never fired his gun, the state of Texas originally charged him with capital murder, along with the three other juveniles in the SUV. That would mean life in prison if convicted. Eventually, the charges were reduced to murder, times 2, and aggravated robbery.

On February 21, 2022, Oscar Martinez III, then 19, along with Joshua Mejia, then 17, as well as three of Joshua's younger siblings allegedly robbed Jerry Ortiz, then 17, who met them at a convenience store to buy marijuana. Jerry Ortiz was reportedly robbed at gunpoint, he handed over the drugs and his shoes, before Christopher Mejia, 14, emerged from the SUV, tried to take Jerry Ortiz's gun, and was shot by Ortiz. Christopher Mejia was critically wounded and passed away shortly after that. Enrique Venegas Bocanegra, 66, was in his home making lunch when he was struck by a stray bullet and passed away from his injuries. Both bullets were fired from Jerry Ortiz's pew-pew. Although Oscar Martinez never fired his pew-pew, the state of Texas originally charged him with capital unaliving, along with the three other juveniles in the SUV. That would mean life in prison if convicted. Eventually, the charges were reduced to unaliving, times 2, and aggravated robbery.

After the state rested this morning, the defense again waived their opening statement and called one witness before resting. Both sides presented their closing arguments and the jury started their deliberations. They deliberate around an hour before delivering their verdict. Andres Tarnava is accused of unaliving, dismembering, and burning Marisol Klingelhofer on April 26, 2021, in Bexar County, Texas. Tarnava accused Klingelhoffer of stealing items from his father, who passed away. He was arrested on May 28, 2021, and investigators said he confessed to committing the crime.

Today we will cover the highlights of day two and jump into day three. Andres Tarnava is accused of unaliving, dismembering, and burning Marisol Klingelhofer on April 26, 2021, in Bexar County, Texas. Tarnava accused Klingelhoffer of stealing items from his father, who passed away. He was arrested on May 28, 2021, and investigators said he confessed to committing the crime.

Andres Tarnava is accused of unaliving, dismembering, and burning Marisol Klingelhofer on April 26, 2021, in Bexar County, Texas. Tarnava accused Klingelhoffer of stealing items from his father, who passed away. He was arrested on May 28, 2021, and investigators said he confessed to committing the crime.

After five days of testimony both the state and defense rested yesterday. We will hit the important testimony today, watch closing arguments from today, and watch for the verdict. Prosecutors say Daniel Garcia killed 5-year-old, Domenic Aguilar-Acevedo, while they were staying at a San Antonio hotel in July 2021. Daniel Garcia and Nickolle Aguilar, the boy's mother, then allegedly drove to Colorado, where they buried Domenic's body in a remote park west of Denver. The couple then fled to Costa Rica. Investigators found Domenic's body about a month later, assisted by Nickolle Aguilar, in a deep ravine. Nickolle told authorities Daniel had been extensively physically abusing Domenic. She admitted to not reporting Domenic's death out of fear of losing custody of their other kids. Garcia is charged with injury to a child resulting in death, alter/destroy/conceal a human corpse, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Nickolle Aguilar agreed to a plea deal and pleaded guilty to causing injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission and agreed to testify against Daniel Garcia.

Prosecutors say Daniel Garcia killed 5-year-old, Domenic Aguilar-Acevedo, while they were staying at a San Antonio hotel in July 2021. Daniel Garcia and Nickolle Aguilar, the boy's mother, then allegedly drove to Colorado, where they buried Domenic's body in a remote park west of Denver. The couple then fled to Costa Rica. Investigators found Domenic's body about a month later, assisted by Nickolle Aguilar, in a deep ravine. Nickolle told authorities Daniel had been extensively physically abusing Domenic. She admitted to not reporting Domenic's death out of fear of losing custody of their other kids. Garcia is charged with injury to a child resulting in death, alter/destroy/conceal a human corpse, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Nickolle Aguilar agreed to a plea deal and pleaded guilty to causing injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission and agreed to testify against Daniel Garcia.

I thought we were going to watch a sentencing... but the judge stopped it. So we chatted about some other horrible people and watched the hearing of a woman in Ohio who randomly attacked a 3-year-old and his mother on June 3, 2024. The child didn't survive. Nickolle Aguilar agreed to a plea deal and pleaded guilty to causing injury to a child causing serious bodily injury by omission and agreed to testify against Daniel Garcia who was convicted of causing Domenic's passing in May 2024. Prosecutors say Daniel Garcia killed 5-year-old, Domenic Aguilar-Acevedo, while they were staying at a San Antonio hotel in July 2021. Daniel Garcia and Nickolle Aguilar, the boy's mother, then allegedly drove to Colorado, where they buried Domenic's body in a remote park west of Denver. The couple then fled to Costa Rica. Investigators found Domenic's body about a month later, assisted by Nickolle Aguilar, in a deep ravine. Nickolle told authorities Daniel had been extensively physically abusing Domenic. She admitted to not reporting Domenic's death out of fear of losing custody of their other kids.

I clipped out the closings and verdict so it was easier to find. That way you don't have to watch as we try to entertain ourselves while the jury deliberates.

Judge Boyd brought about 5 defendants into court along with Katrina Mendoza she did their hearings before proceeding with Katrina's sentencing. Each side called two witnesses before Judge Boyd handed down her sentence. Katrina Mendoza was the mother of 5-year-old Mercedes Losoya. Mercedes' life was cut short when Katrina allegedly handed her over to Jose Ruiz. Jose was already convicted of beating and torturing Mercedes. He was sentenced to life without parole earlier this year. Katrina took a plea deal and testified against Jose. She sat emotionless as the court played a video of Mercedes being abused and tortured by Ruiz. Katrina faces a maximum of 45 years.

Join me for an exclusive update from Tye! The state is trying to silence him and Lauren once again. They ought to know better than anyone you can't unring the bell once it's been rung!

I'm not sure what we're going to do this morning. We can check in on the Karen Read opening arguments. We can watch a hearing that took place in Michigan last week involving a horrible DUI accident that ended with two siblings passing away, their remaining sibling is in the hospital, and their mom came off the ventilator the day before the hearing only to find out two of her 3 children are gone. Or if you have something else... let me know! At 2:30 PM ET, I will transition to the Katrina Mendoza sentencing. We've waited a long time for this monster to be sentenced. While the plea deal she took will keep her from serving a life sentence I hope the judge gives her the maximum. She is just as guilty, if not more guilty, than Jose Ruiz and he's serving life without parole.

***This is NOT a Shanda or Jose Ruiz type of trial. While tragic, there are no allegations of horrific abuse. *** Dacia Lacey, 32, was arrested in January 2022 and charged with neglect of a dependent resulting in death. She faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted. This was a bench trial, not a jury trial. The trial took place the week of April 15, 2024. On the morning of Aug. 29, 2022, police responded to Dacia Lacey's residence and found 2-month-old, Alona, not breathing, Dacia told investigators that she placed the baby on her couch, propped up with a bottle, and went to bed. She called 911 when she found Alona was not breathing. A relative contacted Indianapolis Metro PD claiming one of Lacey's other two children, who were both home at the time Alona died, had commented, “Yah, she was crying, and mom put a pillow over her face.” The results of a drug screen conducted on Dacia the day the baby died showed Dacia had both amphetamine and methamphetamine in her system. The Marion County Coroner's Office determined Alona's cause of death was undetermined after an autopsy was completed. Dacia admitted to a detective that she had taken a pill and was still impaired the day Alona died. Dacia described how she fed and rocked the baby, who would not stop crying. She said she hit the baby and tried to force a bottle into her mouth. She admitted to then turning the baby and smothering her in between the cushions of the couch because she wanted to sleep, according to the probable cause document. Lacey allegedly told the detective during her interview that the incident was an accident since she was on methamphetamine and didn't smother the baby intentionally. 00:00 Stream starts 14:13 Defendant enters 16:38 State opening statement 19:03 Defense opening statement 24:45 First witness 01:01:35 911 call 01:19:20 Second Witness 01:47:00 AJ gets distracted by her chat 01:52:52 Third witness 02:09:00 The stream gets derailed! Watch at your own risk! :) 02:39:42 Fourth witness 03:05:14 Defendant's dad takes the stand 03:34:56 Defendant's future stepmom takes the stand 04:19:16 Fifth witness 05:20:36 State closing argument 05:29:02 Defense closing argument 05:46:33 State rebuttal 05:53:00 AJ realizes the video doesn't have the verdict 06:02:00 Verdict

Day three brought us the medical examiner's testimony, the lead detective, and the detective who interviewed DeShawn Stafford. Nowhere in the medical examiner's testimony did he mention any evidence that Ethan was stomped, kicked, and punched after he was on the ground. Both detectives admitted to NOT looking at the three boys, who were with Ethan, cellphones and Ethan's phone mysteriously disappeared and no one bothered to look into that either. The state rested at the end of day three. Day four will bring us directed verdict arguments and finally closing arguments. On June 2, 2022, four teens, including Ethan Liming,17, pulled up to the basketball courts at the LeBron James, I Promise School, in Akron, Ohio. Two teens exited the vehicle and started firing a SplatRBall water bead blaster gel gun toward a group of four people playing basketball. This led to a confrontation between the two groups and a fight ensued. Ethan Liming was knocked to the ground, was unresponsive, and continued to be beaten resulting in Ethan's death. Three people were eventually charged brothers DeShawn, 20, Tyler, 19, Stafford, and their cousin, Donovon Jones, 21. The three men were charged with murder, but a Summit County grand jury indicted all three on lesser charges. The Stafford brothers were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Donovon Jones pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of assault and received a 180-day suspended jail sentence. The Stafford brothers' trial started on September 15, 2023. Their trial was held together with each brother having their own attorneys.

Today we hear from the medical examiner who should tell us what caused Ethan to pass away. On June 2, 2022, four teens, including Ethan Liming,17, pulled up to the basketball courts at the LeBron James, I Promise School, in Akron, Ohio. Two teens exited the vehicle and started firing a SplatRBall water bead blaster gel gun toward a group of four people playing basketball. This led to a confrontation between the two groups and a fight ensued. Ethan Liming was knocked to the ground, was unresponsive, and continued to be beaten resulting in Ethan's death. Three people were eventually charged brothers DeShawn, 20, Tyler, 19, Stafford, and their cousin, Donovon Jones, 21. The three men were charged with murder, but a Summit County grand jury indicted all three on lesser charges. The Stafford brothers were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Donovon Jones pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of assault and received a 180-day suspended jail sentence. The Stafford brothers' trial started on September 15, 2023. Their trial was held together with each brother having their own attorney. This is a commentary channel. I offer no legal advice, as I am not an attorney. All content is for entertainment, informative, educational, and discussion purposes only and to give others a view of what is happening in our country's courtrooms. The opinions expressed by me are solely my own. The views expressed by any guests are exclusively their own. All content is used for commentary, education, and criticism and constitutes Fair use.

On June 2, 2022, four teens, including Ethan Liming,17, pulled up to the basketball courts at the LeBron James, I Promise School, in Akron, Ohio. Two teens exited the vehicle and started firing a SplatRBall water bead blaster gel gun toward a group of four people playing basketball. This led to a confrontation between the two groups and a fight ensued. Ethan Liming was knocked to the ground, was unresponsive, and continued to be beaten resulting in Ethan's death. Three people were eventually charged brothers DeShawn, 20, Tyler, 19, Stafford, and their cousin, Donovon Jones, 21. The three men were charged with m–der, but a Summit County grand jury indicted all three on lesser charges. The Stafford brothers were charged with involuntary man-un-aliving. Donovon Jones pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of assault and received a 180-day suspended jail sentence. The Stafford brothers' trial started on September 15, 2023. Their trial was held together with each brother having their own attorney.

After months of waiting sentencing day has finally arrived. Jessy Kurczweski was found guilty last November 14, 2023, in the death of Lynn Hernan. Jessy allegedly put Visine in Lynn's drink causing her to become ill and eventually pass away. Lynn's death was originally ruled a self-deletion by investigators. Had Jessy kept her mouth closed and not inquired about Lynn's estate one too many times... she may have gotten away with it. Along with causing Lynn's death, Jessy was found guilty of stealing money from Lynn and Lynn's estate. Her original sentencing date was December 7, 2023. However, during that hearing, Jessy's public defenders asked Judge Dorow to allow them to withdraw because of statements Jessy made about how they represented her in interviews after her trial and noted a 37-page letter was allegedly mailed from the jail with instructions on how to forge a recording of Lynn saying her death was by Lynn's own doing. A status hearing was set for January 12, 2024, and Judge Dorow appointed Jessy new public defenders. During that hearing, one public defender asked to withdraw, and a new public defender was appointed. I assume she will be sentenced today, but one can never tell with this case. In Wisconsin, there is only one outcome for Jessy, and that is life. We will have to wait and see if Judge Dorow allows her to be eligible for parole after serving a set number of years.

On June 2, 2022, four teens, including Ethan Liming,17, pulled up to the basketball courts at the LeBron James, I Promise School, in Akron, Ohio. Two teens exited the vehicle and started firing a SplatRBall water bead blaster gel gun toward a group of four people playing basketball. This led to a confrontation between the two groups and a fight ensued. Ethan Liming was knocked to the ground, was unresponsive, and continued to be beaten resulting in Ethan's death. Three people were eventually charged brothers DeShawn, 20, Tyler, 19, Stafford, and their cousin, Donovon Jones, 21. The three men were charged with murder, but a Summit County grand jury indicted all three on lesser charges. The Stafford brothers were charged with involuntary manslaughter. Donovon Jones pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of assault and received a 180-day suspended jail sentence. The Stafford brothers' trial started on September 15, 2023. Their trial was held together with each brother having their own attorney.