>> HAD TO SAY AND STARTED. AND YOUR HAHA. >> IT.
>> A TRIAL FOR MAN ACCUSED OF
KILLING HIS GIRLFRIEND 2 YEARS
AGO CAME TO AN END YESTERDAY.
>> OR HEAD EAST GET IT ALL WAS
FOUND GUILTY AND SENTENCED TO
50 YEARS IN PRISON. ERICA
HERNANDEZ JOINS US NOW WITH
MORE ON WHAT WENT INSIDE THE
COURTROOM.
>> SO THE MORNING, ERICA,
FIRST, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE
BACKGROUND ON THIS CASE.
>> YES, SO THIS CASE WAS 2
YEARS AGO WITH CORA NICKEL WAS
FOUND DEAD IN HER HOME BY HER
2 YOUNG CHILDREN. SO THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED
2 YEARS AGO AND FIRE WENT TO
TRIAL THIS WEEK WHERE HER
BOYFRIEND AT THE TIME, WHAT HIS
SCHEDULE WAS ACCUSED AND HE
WASN’T ACTUALLY 1012 DAYS LATER
IN CALIFORNIA, HE FLED THE
STATE AND IT
WAS FOUND THERE AND HAVE TO
BE BROUGHT BACK TO THEIR COUNTY
OF WHERE HE’S BEEN UNDER
ARREST. AND NOW HE WENT TO
TRIAL LAW WILL BE SERVING HIS
PRISON SENTENCE AT.
>> HE WAS THERE. ANY TESTIMONY
HEARD THAT YOU THOUGHT
INFLUENCED JURY?
>> YEAH, FOR SURE. ON THAT
FIRST DAY OF THE TRIAL, WE
HEARD TESTIMONY FROM THOSE 2
YOUNG GIRLS AT THE TIME THEY
WERE 85. NOW THERE ARE 10 7 AND
THEY TOOK THE STAND. BOTH GIRLS
TOOK THE STAND ON THE FIRST DAY
OF TRIAL. AND I CAN TELL YOU
THAT EVERYBODY IN THAT QUOTE,
LITTLE I’M PRETTY SURE HAD
THEIR HEART STRINGS PULLED OUT
BY THESE 2 LITTLE GIRLS BECAUSE
YOU JUST START WITH THE NO
CHILD SHOULD HAVE TO WAKE UP IN
THE MORNING. I WALKED
DOWNSTAIRS AND SEE THEIR MOTHER
IN THAT STATE. ALL THEY DID IT.
THEY TOOK THE STAND. THEY WERE
VERY BRAVE. ALL THEY TOLD, YOU
KNOW, THAT THE JURY WHAT THEY
SAW AND WHAT THEY SAW THE NIGHT
BEFORE THEY WENT TO THAT AND
HOW THEY WOKE UP, THEY COULDN’T
FIND THEIR THAT THEY TRIED
CALLING HIM. HE DIDN’T ANSWER,
BUT THEY FOUND THEIR MOTHER AND
THEY HAVE TO CALL THE
GRANDMOTHER TO COME OVER.
>> BECAUSE THEY WERE WE SAW.
A DASH IN DASH CAM BUT POLICE
BODY CAM VIDEO FOR POLICE
ARRIVED AND THE GIRL STORIES
DIDN’T CHANGE AT ALL FROM THE
MOMENT THAT POLICE GOT THERE.
AND SO WHEN THEY TOOK THE STAND
2 YEARS LATER, BUT I’M PRETTY
SURE THAT WAS VERY IMPACTFUL
FOR THE JURY TO HEAR IT.
>> AND A QUESTION ABOUT THAT
FOR YOU. MAYBE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE
YOU DON’T. BUT WERE THEY LIKE
PRADA TO TO TESTIFY OR ARE THEY
WILLING TO TESTIFY FROM FROM
THE VERY BEGINNING TO TO WHAT
THEY SAW? THE 2 GIRLS I’M
TALKING ABOUT? WAS IT SOMETHING
THAT THEY WANTED TO DO WHERE
THEY WERE HEADED? I DON’T KNOW
IF IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY
WANTED TO. I THINK A CHILD EVER
WANTS TO DO THIS.
>> BUT I THINK THEY JUST
UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS
SOMETHING THEY HAD TO DO.
I THINK SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE,
LIKE COULD YOU RECORD THEIR
TESTIMONY LIKE THAT ON THE
STAND? I THINK PUTTING THEM
HONEST AND WASN’T POP CULTURE,
THE JURY AND IT WAS A WAY TO
THE STATE. 2.
>> SHOW THAT THEY’RE ALWAYS
GOING TO HAVE THIS TRAUMA AND
THERE’S LIFE REGARDLESS.
AND NOW NOT ONLY DID THEY LOSE
THEIR MOTHER, THAT THEY ALSO
LOST THEIR FATHER. AND THEY
SAID IT’S IT’S SOMETHING THAT
I THINK WAS DEAD FOR A REASON
TO REALLY PRAY AT ON THE JURY’S
HEART STRINGS. AND SO THESE
LITTLE GIRLS IN PERSON.
>> SO THE JURY GETS HIS
EMOTIONAL TESTIMONY FROM THESE
2 LITTLE GIRLS. THEY GET THE
THEY THEY GET INSTRUCTIONS FROM
THE JUDGE. SO HOW LONG DID IT
TAKE FOR THEM TO COME UP WITH
A VERDICT?
>> I WAS REALLY SURPRISED.
IT TOOK 2 AND A HALF HOURS.
THE LAST COUPLE CASES THAT HAVE
COVERED. IT’S TAKING HOURS.
BUT IT WAS 2 AND A HALF HOURS.
THEY CAME BACK WITH A GUILTY
VERDICT AND IT WAS ONLY ANOTHER
HOUR ABOUT ANOTHER HOUR AND
A HALF FOR THEM TO COME UP WITH
A SENTENCE OF 50 YEARS. SO I
THINK THE STATE PUT A REALLY
GOOD CASE ON IN THIS IN THIS
TRIAL AND HAD ENOUGH EVIDENCE
TO SHOW THAT HE WAS THE PERSON
LOOK A LITTLE DESCRIBING NOW WE
WILL HAVE TO SPEND 50 YEARS
BEHIND BARS. HE IS ELIGIBLE FOR
PAROLE AFTER HE SERVES HALF OF
IT. BUT THAT DOESN’T GUARANTEE
HE’S GOING TO GET OUT OF 25
YEARS. THAT JUST SHOWS YOU HE’S
UP ELIGIBLE, BUT IT’S POSSIBLE
BETWEEN UP TO THE PAROLE BOARD
IN ORDER FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.
>> ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU FOR
TAKING US THROUGH THIS. AND
ASIDE FROM BEING A
COURTROOM REPORTER, ERICA IS
ALSO ONE OF THE HOSTS OF OUR
CRIME STORIES PODCAST. WE’RE
GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK
RIGHT NOW. BUT ERICA, WE’LL BE
BACK WITH US TO TALK ABOUT THE
PODCAST LATEST EPISODE
REVOLVING AROUND THE MURDER OF
SAN ANTONIO POLICE DETECTIVE
BENJAMIN MARCONI.