Posted on 11/13/2003 8:59:22 PM PST by BenLurkin
Two relatives heard 22-year-old Santino "Sonny" Casio arguing with his 13-year-old girlfriend minutes before she was shot in the face with a shotgun, they testified at Casio's trial Wednesday. Casio is facing murder charges for the death of his girlfriend along with a special allegation that the crime was committed with a firearm. He is also accused of two separate attempted murders with the special allegations of using a knife and causing great bodily injury.
His trial began Monday before Commissioner John Murphy at the Michael D. Antonovich Antelope Valley Courthouse.
Ruby Perez, Casio's cousin, lived with the defendant and his 13-year-old girlfriend, Evelyn Brenda Cendejas, in Perez's apartment in the 1100 block of East Avenue H-14. Perez was getting ready to go out with her friend, Elaine Gonzalez, who also is related to Casio, about 10 p.m. June 8, 2002, when they heard Casio and Cendejas fighting and Perez saw Cendejas crying, she testified.
Gonzalez and Perez went outside so that Perez could smoke; minutes later they heard a shotgun blast, Perez said.
Within seconds of the shot, Perez and Gonzalez testified, they saw Casio running from the house.
"I met Sonny (Casio) at the door," Gonzalez said. "He just looked really pale and shocked or scared, and said I've got to get out of here."
"He looked like a zombie," Perez confirmed.
Minutes into testimony Wednesday, Cendejas' mother went from quiet tears to louder sobs and court was recessed briefly.
The moustached Casio sat attentively at the table beside his defense attorney, scribbling notes. Strapped to his chair by a chain imperceptible to the jurors, Casio wore what appeared to be a paw print tattoo on the back of his shaven head and a somber black shirt and pants as he listened to the details of that bloody night spill forth.
Gonzalez said that after she heard the gunshots, she ran into the apartment, scooped up her kids who were watching cartoons and ran away.
Perez also ran inside the apartment and stopped just outside of Casio and Cendejas' room where she saw a smoking shotgun lying on the floor.
"I just stood by the door to listen," Perez said.
"You didn't hear anything, did you," defense attorney Avrum Harris said.
"No," Perez said, choking back tears.
When she didn't hear Cendejas making any noise, she grabbed her purse and fled the apartment, Perez said.
That night she snorted methamphetamines, Perez said. "I was high, I was scared, I didn't know what to do," she said. She returned hours later and reported her story to investigators.
Casio remained in hiding for nearly two weeks until he was found on June 20.
It appears only Casio knows what happened inside of the bedroom when Cendejas was shot.
Daniel Aikin, a coroner employee, testified that the shotgun must have been about 4 inches from Cendejas' face. Graphic pictures of Cendejas' wounds were displayed as Aikin detailed her injuries.
Aikin also said Cendejas had black powder transfer, or residue of unexpended gun powder, on her index finger that could have been from any type of handling of the weapon, including pulling the trigger or shielding her face.
Aikin added that the blood and tissue spray reached the walls and the ceiling, possibly indicating that the shotgun was cocked at an upward angle when Cendejas was shot.
Testimony is expected to continue today.
Never a good sign.
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