Testimony resumes Thursday in the trial of three ex-SAPD officers charged with killing Melissa Perez during a 2023 mental health call.
SAN ANTONIO — Testimony resumes Monday in the trial of three former SAPD officers accused of shooting and killed 46-year-old Melissa Perez during a 2023 mental health call. This will be the 11th day of the trial after court took a break Friday.
Last week, jurors saw graphic photos and physical evidence from the scene of the police shooting. The three defendants are former SAPD officers Alfred Flores, Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos. Their lawyers say Perez charged at them with a hammer and was a threat to their safety.
They also heard from several expert witnesses the second week of the trial after officer testimony dominated the first week. Dr. David Lynch with the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office took the stand. Lynch said the Medical Examiner’s office ruled the cause of death was gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide, meaning that the death was caused by another individual. He clarified that the manner of death ruling does not imply any wrongdoing. Lynch said he was shot once in the chest and another in her armpit, despite the defendants firing off 16 shots, according to investigators.
Holli Worden, Forensic Scientist Supervisor in the Firearm/Toolmarks Section of the Bexar County Crime Lab, also took the stand to talk about the bullet and casings analysis. Basically, she was there to confirm the shell casings collected at the scene match the guns used by the officers. She testified that ten bullets were fired from Alejandro’s gun while three shots were fired from each of other two defendants’ guns.
Detective Deanna Platt was next to take the stand to talk about interviewing one of the defendants, Sgt. Alfred Flores, following the shooting. As part of her testimony, she read word for word from Flores’ statement: “As she rushed toward us with the hammer raised above her head, I believed the suspect was going to attack us with a hammer… as I feared for my life and the other officers…”
Background on the case:
Testimony continues Thursday in the trial of three former SAPD officers accused of shooting and killed 46-year-old Melissa Perez during a 2023 mental health call.
Jurors earlier this week say graphic photos and physical evidence from the scene of the police shooting. The three defendants are former SAPD officers Alfred Flores, Eleazar Alejandro and Nathaniel Villalobos. Their lawyers say Perez charged at them with a hammer and was a threat to their safety.
Crime scene investigator Yvonne Diaz with the San Antonio Police Department testified over two days Tuesday and Wednesday, describing what she saw and the evidence she collected after the deadly encounter early in the morning of June 23, 2023. Prosecutors used her testimony to show how bullets riddled Perez’s south-side apartment.
Also on the witness stand Wednesday was Dr. David Lynch with the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office. Lynch said the Medical Examiner’s office ruled the cause of death was gunshot wounds and the manner of death was homicide, meaning that the death was caused by another individual. He clarified that the manner of death ruling does not imply any wrongdoing. Lynch said he was shot once in the chest and another in her armpit, despite the defendants firing off 16 shots, according to investigators.
One of the defense attorneys pointed out that in order for Perez to have been shot in the armpit, her arm had to be up. They also brought up the fact Perez was hit twice, not three times, even though there are three former officers charged.
Thursday, Holli Worden, Forensic Scientist Supervisor in the Firearm/Toolmarks Section of the Bexar County Crime Lab, took the stand to talk about the bullet and casings analysis. Basically, she was there to confirm the shell casings collected at the scene match the guns used by the officers. She testified that ten bullets were fired from Alejandro’s gun while three shots were fired from each of other two defendants’ guns.
Worden was also questioned by defense attorneys on the timing of her lab’s investigation and a potential discrepancy between the completion of the investigation and when the officers were officially charged.
Detective Deanna Platt was next to take the stand. Her role in this case was interviewing one of the defendants, Sgt. Alfred Flores, following the shooting.
The state questioned her about the statement Flores gave her that day.
As part of Platt’s testimony, she read word for word from Flores’ statement: “As she rushed toward us with the hammer raised above her head, I believed the suspect was going to attack us with a hammer… as I feared for my life and the other officers…”
The defense team has taken the opportunity during cross-examination to have Platt walk them through when use of force is justified. Attorney Nico LaHood even re-enacted what Perez was allegedly doing before she was shot and killed.
The defense team also asked the detective if Police Chief William McManus had pressured detectives to write up an arrest warrant — against their better judgment. But the detective testifying said she has no knowledge of that.
Background on the case
It was early in the morning of June 23, 2023, when authorities say Perez tampered with her complex’s fire alarm system, triggering a police response.
Later that morning, Flores, Alejandro and Villalobos fatally shot at Perez when authorities said she came at them with a hammer. Before 24 hours had passed, they were suspended from the force and jailed after Chief William McManus said their actions didn’t conform with protocols.
At the center of the trial is whether or not the defendants’ use of deadly force was warranted, which jurors must determine. Flores and Alejandro are charged with murder, while Villalobos is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with Perez’s death. The three are being tried together.
It was during questioning of a San Antonio police officer who responded to the scene, Officer Jonathan Salinas, that the defense called for a mistrial on Friday.
Salinas on Thursday said he was upset with a theory the state was formulating over the early days of the trial—that the officers who entered Perez’s apartment were committing burglary of a habitat. The defense team said that could incriminate Salinas and the other officers expected to testify over the course of the weekslong trial, which the district attorney’s office says is likely the first time a Bexar County law enforcement officer is on trial for murder.
Salinas was then given a public defender who announced the officer wanted to plead the fifth, giving him the flexibility not to testify further.
Ultimately, the state decided to grant immunity to the officers testifying—aside from Salinas and Officer Jesus Ramos, who was questioned for four days this week.