>> THE FAMILY OF OFFICER BENJAMIN MARCONI ESCORTED INTO COURT
THIS MORNING. THIS AS THE TRIAL
OF OTIS MCKANE BEGINS OPENING
STATEMENTS STARTED THIS
MORNING.
AND THE COURTROOM WAS FULL FOR
THE TRIAL INCLUDING ERIC
HERNANDEZ WHO IS COVERING THE
PROCEEDINGS FOR US
SHE JOINS US LIVE FROM THE
KADENA REEVES JUSTICE CENTER SO
ERICA CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT THE
MOOD WAS LIKE IN THAT COURTROOM
THIS MORNING WHEN THE TRIAL
BEGAN.
>> YEAH THAT MOOD WAS SOMBER AND TENSE AS HIS TRIAL BEGAN ITS A TRIAL WITH
THE WAITING YOURS FOR NOW THIS
TRIAL STARTED AROUND 9.30 THIS
MORNING OF THE 3 79TH DISTRICT
COURT. PROSECUTORS TRACKS BEGIN
WITH. OPENING STATEMENT SHE
GAVE THE JURY
A TIME TIMELINE OF WHAT
EVIDENCE WILL BE PRESENTED TO
THEM IN THE COMING DAYS, TROUT
SAID SEVERAL WITNESSES WOULD
TAKE THE STAND WHO WITNESSED
THE CRIME AS WELL AS TESTIMONY
OF MCCAIN ADMITTING TO THE
CRIME.
THE
THE 31 YEAR-OLD. WE ARE. ANOTHER MEDIA
REPORTER SAYS WHY WAS IT HIS
FAULT THAT YOU WOULD SEE YOUR
SON. AND THE DEFENSE
RESPONSIBLE US. >> I’VE BEEN THROUGH SEVERAL CUSTODY BATTLES AND I WAS
UPSET. AT
THE SITUATION AND I LAST HOUR
THAT SOMEBODY THEY DIDN’T
DESERVE IT.
>> OPENING STATEMENTS BY THE STATE LASTED OVER AN HOUR. THE DEFENSE DECIDED TO HOLD OFF
ON THEIR
OPENING STATEMENTS, THE FIRST
WITNESS TO TAKE THE STAND IS
ERIC E MINUS WHO WORKS WITH THE
FUSION CENTER AT
SAPD HEADQUARTERS. HE WAS
CALLED TO PULL UP VIDEO FROM
PUBLIC SAFETY HEADQUARTERS FROM
THAT DAY. THE FIRST COUPLE OF CLIPS SAID HE SHOWED IS WHAT APPEARS TO BE OTIS MCKANE IN
TRAINING EXIT IN SAPD
HEADQUARTERS
THAT MORNING AS FAR AS VIDEOS
OR OTHER VIDEOS THAT ARE GOING
TO BE SHOWN ACTUAL SHOOTING
ONE FROM INSIDE MY UNIT AND
BECAUSE WE ARE LIVE IN THIS
CASE. WE WILL NOT
THE SHOWING THOSE VIDEOS STATE
A HEARSE LEFT.
ERICA DURING THE OPENING
STATEMENTS, THE PROSECUTION
POINTED
OUT THAT.
>> WHERE DETECTIVE MARCONI WAS
SHOT TWICE IN
THE HEAD THAT MIGHT HAVE SEEN
QUITE GRAPHIC. WHAT WAS THE
REACTION IN THE COURTROOM,
ESPECIALLY FROM THE MOORE
COUNTY FAMILY WHO HAD TO WATCH
THAT.
>> YEAH THE MARCONI FAMILY WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN UP FROM THOSE COMMENTS SEVERAL MEMBERS
WERE SEEN, CRYING IT STILL
THERE’S A LOT OF EMOTION IN
THIS COURTROOM RIGHT NOW,
ESPECIALLY FROM
THE FAMILY.
>> DAVID SEARS: AND ERICA YOU
MENTIONED THAT THE DEFENSE DID
NOT GIVE AN OPENING STATEMENT
AT THE PROSECUTION GAVE THEIRS
AND SO THAT TRIAL IT RIGHT
TO WITNESSES, THERE SEEMED TO
BE A LITTLE SHOCKING THE IN THE
COURTROOM FOR SOME
ON THEIR REACTION TO NOT HAVING
AN
OPENING STATEMENT. WHAT WAS A
LOT OF THE REACTION IN THERE
AND WHY DID THEY NOT GET ONE
TODAY.
>> IT’S NOT REALLY UNCOMMON FOR THE DEFENSE TO WAIVE THEIR OPENING STATEMENTS A LOT OF IT
IS TO SHOW THAT THEY DON’T WANT
TO SHOW
WHAT THEY’RE KIND OF THE
MINDSET WHAT THEIR CASE IS
GOING TO
LOOK LIKE SO WAITING STATEMENT
IS NOT UNCOMMON. IT IS SEEN SO
WE EXPECT TO SEE LATER ON WHAT
THE DEFENSES THEORY IS WHEN IT
>> DAVID SEARS: AND WELCOME NOW RIGHT NOW YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE TRIAL OF OTIS MCKANE IS
ACCUSED OF KILLING 7 TONY A
POLICE DETECTIVE BENJAMIN
MARCONI BACK IN 2016 IS THE
FIRST DEATH PENALTY CASE AND
MORE THAT 5 YEARS IN BEXAR
COUNTY ARE ACTUALLY WATCHING
SOME SURVEILLANCE VIDEO THAT
THEY ARE SHOWING INSIDE THAT
COURTROOM DURING THIS TRIAL.
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW THIS
TRIAL ONLINE I DO IS GO TO KSAT
DOT COM.
DOT COM. >> BUT IN THE MEANTIME WE CAN BRING IN ERIC OR SHE IS LIVE
DOWNTOWN SHE’S
BEEN COVERING.
>> THE TRIAL ALL MORNING LONG
INSIDE
THE COURTROOM WHERE THAT
SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE IS BEING
REPLAYED.
>> DAVID SEARS: AMERICA WE’VE
BEEN TALKING THIS MORNING ABOUT
SOME DIFFERENT THINGS THAT
WE’VE NOTICED IN THIS TRIAL OF
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE THAT
WE NOTICE WAS BACK TO THE
PROSECUTOR WHEN SHE WAS GIVING
HER
OPENING STATEMENT SHE REFERRED
TO ALL THE WITNESSES THAT HE’S
GOING TO CALL A LOT BY THEIR
FIRST NAMES ISSUES
TRYING TO HUMANIZE HIM AND I
REMEMBER SHE KEPT CALLING ONE
OF THE WITNESSES RICKY
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE THING AS
IF AS IF
THE JURY HERE’S HERE’S A GUY
THAT JUST LIKE YOU KNOW
DIFFERENT BUT HE STUNNED AT
WHAT HE SAW.
>> YEAH, I THINK WE WERE REALLY SURPRISED TO KNOW JUST HOW MANY WITNESSES ACTUALLY WITNESSED
THIS CRIME TAKING PLACE IT’S
SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY
DIDN’T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE SAW
THIS WHEN IT OCCURRED THAT
MORNING ON
NOVEMBER 20TH AND I THINK SHE
IS TRYING TO HUMANIZE THIS CASE
I THINK SHE WANTS THE JURY TO
REALLY UNDERSTAND THAT IT
AFFECTED A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT
DAY, INCLUDING THE MARCONI
FAMILY SAPD AND THOSE WHO
WITNESSED IT.
AND ERICA IT THE PROSECUTOR
IS REALLY DRAMATICALLY POINTING
OUT HOW MANY HOURS HOW
MANY MINUTES, THE NEW BILL
MAHER COUNTY HAD LEFT IN HIS
LIFE
WHILE WATCHING THE SURVEILLANCE
VIDEO AND THE COMINGS AND
GOINGS OF OF PEOPLE
RIGHT THERE WHO KNEW WHAT WAS
ABOUT TO HAPPEN AND THAT HIS
LIFE WAS ABOUT TO END.
YEAH, IT WAS A STEP-BY-STEP TIMELINE OF THAT DAY FROM THE TIME THAT. MCCAIN APPARENTLY
GOT TO SAPD HEADQUARTERS
THAT MORNING AROUND 7 40 ISH IN
YOU SAW THE VIDEO BEING SHOT OF
HIM ENTERING AND EXITING
SAPD HEADQUARTERS. SO JUST
RECENTLY WHEN VIDEO WAS JUST
SHOWN OF THE ACTUAL SHOOTING
TAKING PLACE FROM ONE OF THOSE
SECURITY CAMERAS AT PD
HEADQUARTERS AND HIM DRIVING
THROUGH WHAT APPEARS TO BE HIM
DRIVING THROUGH
BARRIERS. IT’S ALL PART OF THIS
CASE AND IT’S SOMETHING THAT I
THINK THEY REALLY DO WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS
EXPECIALLY THE JURORS THAT
THEY ARE SAYING MCCAIN IS THE
ONE WHO COMMITTED
THIS CRIME.
>> DAVID SEARS: THOUGHT IT WAS
VERY INTERESTING THAT THE
OPENING STATEMENT FROM THE
PROSECUTOR IN HER. OPENING
STATEMENT WAS
OBJECTED TO BY THE BY THE
DEFENSE ATTORNEY B AND ONE
BECAUSE WHAT HE SAID IT WAS
ACTUALLY BECAUSE WHAT SHE DID.
>> YEAH IT WAS ONE OF THE ONLY OBJECTION TO SEEM SO FAR THIS MORNING WHEN SHE POINT POINTED
AT MAKE AND I THINK THEY FELT
THAT SHE WAS BEING A LITTLE TOO
CLOSE TO HIM AND THAT THEY
WANTED HER TO
KIND OF I THINK THEY JUST WANT
TO INTERRUPT HER AS WELL AND
MAYBE HELP YOU KNOW THEIR OFFER
GAME A LITTLE BIT WHEN SHE WAS
GIVING HIM HIS OPENING
STATEMENT, IT WAS A SURPRISE BY
MANY AS IT CAME RIGHT AWAY WHEN
IT STARTED
BUT SHE CONTINUED THAT OPENING
STATEMENT LAST YEAR FOR ABOUT A
LITTLE OVER AN HOUR THIS
MORNING AND AND
FINALLY ERICA AS WE POINTED IN
OUR 1ST HALF HOUR, THE
DEFENSE DECIDED NOT TO GIVE AN
OPENING STATEMENT, BUT THEY
HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO SO LATER
CORRECT.
THAT IS CORRECT IT’S NOT
UNCOMMON TO SEE TO DO THIS
AND THAT START WITH THEIR
OPENING STATEMENT. IT’S ALSO
PROBABLY NOT GIVE AWAY.
WHAT THEY’RE KIND OF THEIR
CASES FOR OTIS MCKANE AT THIS
TIME BUT I DO EXPECT TO SEE
WHEN THEY DON’T WHEN THEY DO
START
THEIR CASE.
>> DAVID SEARS: ALL RIGHT,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR
TIME AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH
FOR UPDATING US ON THIS TRIAL
AND WE’LL LET YOU GET BACK IN
THE COURTROOM AND WE’LL HAVE
MORE FROM YOU ON THE AIR AND