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PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KGPE) - The proceedings of 38-year-old Erika Sandoval is nearing a close, with her attorneys resting their lawsuit successful Tulare Superior Court connected Monday.
The District Attorney's Office volition person a last rebuttal connected Wednesday earlier handing the lawsuit to 12 jurors.
Sandoval testified she killed her ex-husband, Daniel Green, successful 2015 successful his Goshen home. He was an Exeter constabulary officer.
Defense Attorney Megan Casebeer told the assemblage that the lawsuit meets each the requirements for not blameworthy due to the fact that she claims it was self-defense.
“Erika ne'er planned to termination Daniel Green, she hid successful the closet retired of fear," said Casebeer.
It’s been 10 years since Sandoval killed Green aft breaking into his bare Goshen home.
Now she is person than ever to uncovering retired her fate.
Casebeer is hoping to person the assemblage that adjacent Sandoval didn’t program Green's death, but acted retired of fearfulness for her ain safety, and retired of interest for their shared son.
“Erika was abused. Erika was disquieted astir [their son], and Erika was scared," said Casebeer to the jury.
Casebeer said connected Feb. 6, 2015, Sandoval made a last-minute, rash determination to interruption into Green's home, knowing helium wouldn't beryllium determination due to the fact that helium was astatine the gym
Once there, she testified she snooped around.
Casebeer claims Sandoval was filled with rage implicit the messiness of the home, the intoxicant and vapes connected the counter, and loaded guns not locked up successful the safe.
“When she finds the guns connected the ground, she is furious," said Casebeer.
Sandoval grabs 2 guns, 1 disconnected the fridge and the different from Green's room.
Casebeer past says a question of choler washed implicit Sandoval erstwhile she recovered inappropriate photos successful a impermanent room. Next, Sandoval testified that Green arrived location earlier than Sandoval expected, and she panicked.
Casebeer told the assemblage Sandoval was frightened of what Green would bash since she had breached into the location without his authority, and was acrophobic for her safety. She played an audio signaling of Green claiming that Green would suffer his temper erstwhile angry.
“He recorded this and saved it. Imagine what is was similar erstwhile helium was not recording," said Casebeer.
Those photos that Sandoval claims were successful the location were ne'er found, and Sandoval has changed her communicative astir wherefore she killed Green respective times.
Casebeer told the assemblage that if they can't hold to not blameworthy owed to self-defense, the highest condemnation is of manslaughter. Under California law, the maximum condemnation is 11 years. Sandoval has already served 10 years.
Prosecutor David Alavezos volition person 1 past clip connected Wednesday to person the assemblage that Sandoval committed First Degree Murder with the peculiar condition of lying successful wait.
He painted Sandoval arsenic a jealous ex-wife who planned Green's decease due to the fact that of a societal media photograph Green had posted with his caller girlfriend. She called him 160 times successful the days starring up to his death, and confessed to instrumentality enforcement that she killed Green to person afloat custody of their two-year-old son.
A sticky enactment with Green's girlfriend's sanction was recovered successful Sandoval's purse the time she was arrested.
