(no subject)
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Attorney: Gonzalez killed her
By BRIANNA LUSK, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 6, 2007 10:59 PM PDT
Maria Veloz died at the hands of Salvador Gonzalez.
That is one fact that will not be disputed during the trial of Gonzalez, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his longtime girlfriend.
Whether Gonzalez premeditated the crime is up for a jury of seven men and five women to decide.
Gonzalez, whose trial began Wednesday in El Centro, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
During opening statements Defense Attorney Steven Honse said Gonzalez was responsible for Veloz’s death.
“He killed this woman,” Honse said. “He has to pay a price for it.”
Honse said Veloz told Gonzalez she had found someone else just moments after being intimate and that caused Gonzalez to snap.
Imperial County Deputy District Attorney Deborah Owen said Gonzalez is guilty of murder.
The case began last May when the 52-year-old Veloz, a teacher at the Imperial Valley Center for Exceptional Children, was found dead in her boyfriend’s home in the 2000 block of Cross Road near El Centro.
A pathologist concluded Veloz died of blunt force trauma and manual strangulation.
Owen said Gonzalez told a police officer nearly one year before the crime, “Tell her she needs to move or I’m going to kill her.”
Two of Veloz’s children and her son-in-law, who discovered the body, testified Wednesday that Veloz had a restraining order against Gonzalez and the couple were broken up when she was killed.
Honse described the couple as having a passionate and volatile relationship.
Nineteen-year-old Natalie Veloz, who was a senior in high school and lived with her mother at the time, said she returned from her boyfriend’s house around 2 a.m. and noticed her mother’s car was missing.
After she was unable to reach her mother by calling Gonzalez’s cell phone the next day, May 20, 2006, she became worried.
Natalie and her sister Myra Veloz drove to Gonzalez’s residence and found Veloz’s car in the driveway.
Myra called her husband, Juan Molina, to come to the house. Molina testified he knocked on the door and when no one answered, opened the door with a credit card and found the body.
Veloz was wrapped in a blanket face down on the bed, Molina said.
“I told my wife and Natalie ‘I think that’s your mom,’” Molina said.
Veloz was pronounced dead at the scene after law enforcement officials arrived.
Gonzalez had a history of threatening to kill Veloz, Owen said.
El Centro police Officer Alvaro Ramirez testified that nearly a year earlier, on July 11, 2005, officers responded to Veloz’s apartment in regard to a domestic dispute.
Gonzalez left the scene and was pulled over just blocks from Veloz’s apartment. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Ramirez said.
When he was placed into custody, Ramirez said, Gonzalez made repeated threats to kill his girlfriend and also threatened Ramirez.
“He demanded that I write down that he was going to kill her,” Ramirez said on the stand.
A temporary restraining order was granted by a judge after that incident.
Honse questioned whether Gonzalez was acting irrationally or crazy.
Ramirez said he appeared to be angry and had extreme mood swings. Gonzalez’s own threats against Ramirez, he said, made him uneasy.
“There was something about what he was saying and the way he was saying it, made me feel threatened,” Ramirez said.
Testimony is expected to continue at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Imperial County Superior Courthouse in El Centro in Dept. 8.
>> Staff Writer Brianna Lusk can be reached at blusk@ivpressonline.com or 337-3439
Attorney: Gonzalez killed her
By BRIANNA LUSK, Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 6, 2007 10:59 PM PDT
Maria Veloz died at the hands of Salvador Gonzalez.
That is one fact that will not be disputed during the trial of Gonzalez, who is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his longtime girlfriend.
Whether Gonzalez premeditated the crime is up for a jury of seven men and five women to decide.
Gonzalez, whose trial began Wednesday in El Centro, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder.
During opening statements Defense Attorney Steven Honse said Gonzalez was responsible for Veloz’s death.
“He killed this woman,” Honse said. “He has to pay a price for it.”
Honse said Veloz told Gonzalez she had found someone else just moments after being intimate and that caused Gonzalez to snap.
Imperial County Deputy District Attorney Deborah Owen said Gonzalez is guilty of murder.
The case began last May when the 52-year-old Veloz, a teacher at the Imperial Valley Center for Exceptional Children, was found dead in her boyfriend’s home in the 2000 block of Cross Road near El Centro.
A pathologist concluded Veloz died of blunt force trauma and manual strangulation.
Owen said Gonzalez told a police officer nearly one year before the crime, “Tell her she needs to move or I’m going to kill her.”
Two of Veloz’s children and her son-in-law, who discovered the body, testified Wednesday that Veloz had a restraining order against Gonzalez and the couple were broken up when she was killed.
Honse described the couple as having a passionate and volatile relationship.
Nineteen-year-old Natalie Veloz, who was a senior in high school and lived with her mother at the time, said she returned from her boyfriend’s house around 2 a.m. and noticed her mother’s car was missing.
After she was unable to reach her mother by calling Gonzalez’s cell phone the next day, May 20, 2006, she became worried.
Natalie and her sister Myra Veloz drove to Gonzalez’s residence and found Veloz’s car in the driveway.
Myra called her husband, Juan Molina, to come to the house. Molina testified he knocked on the door and when no one answered, opened the door with a credit card and found the body.
Veloz was wrapped in a blanket face down on the bed, Molina said.
“I told my wife and Natalie ‘I think that’s your mom,’” Molina said.
Veloz was pronounced dead at the scene after law enforcement officials arrived.
Gonzalez had a history of threatening to kill Veloz, Owen said.
El Centro police Officer Alvaro Ramirez testified that nearly a year earlier, on July 11, 2005, officers responded to Veloz’s apartment in regard to a domestic dispute.
Gonzalez left the scene and was pulled over just blocks from Veloz’s apartment. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, Ramirez said.
When he was placed into custody, Ramirez said, Gonzalez made repeated threats to kill his girlfriend and also threatened Ramirez.
“He demanded that I write down that he was going to kill her,” Ramirez said on the stand.
A temporary restraining order was granted by a judge after that incident.
Honse questioned whether Gonzalez was acting irrationally or crazy.
Ramirez said he appeared to be angry and had extreme mood swings. Gonzalez’s own threats against Ramirez, he said, made him uneasy.
“There was something about what he was saying and the way he was saying it, made me feel threatened,” Ramirez said.
Testimony is expected to continue at 9:30 a.m. Friday at the Imperial County Superior Courthouse in El Centro in Dept. 8.
>> Staff Writer Brianna Lusk can be reached at blusk@ivpressonline.com or 337-3439