SAN ANTONIO – The retrial of a man accused in the death of his estranged wife is expected to go to the jury after closing arguments on Thursday morning.
Below is a timeline of events from Thursday’s proceedings.
9:56 a.m. - Guadalupe Contreras’ defense attorney Charles Bunk asked Judge Ron Rangel to make Joe Munoz Jr.‘s YouTube comments on KSAT 12 News’ coverage of the retrial as a part of court records. The prosecution did not object. Rangel admitted Munoz’s comments as a part of the formal record. The jury was not present at this time.
9:59 a.m. - Judge Rangel said the state and the defense will have 35 minutes each to make their closing arguments.
10:01 a.m. - The jury enters the courtroom. Judge Rangel reads out the charges Contreras is facing as a reminder to the jury.
10:15 a.m. - Rangel asked the state if it would like to begin its closing arguments. Instead, the state allowed Contreras' defense team to go first. Bunk commences the defense’s closing arguments.
10:16 a.m. - Bunk points to a “green sign on the (alleged suspect’s) car that nobody discussed” to kick off the defense’s closing argument to the jury.
“Remember that green sign that was stuck on the car? Remember? And SAPD put it there,” Bunk told the jury. “And it says, ‘This car is illegally parked.’ And on the day they believe Elizabeth (Contreras) was murdered — August, the second (2017) — this car was illegally parked at 10:30 (p.m.). 10:30 (p.m.). So you’ve got to decide right now (that) if this is true, their science is wrong, he (Guadalupe) was at work and we’ve wasted all of your time."
Guadalupe Contreras, arrested in August 2017, is charged with the murder of his wife, 39-year-old Elizabeth Contreras. According to an arrest affidavit, authorities described the case as “a dangerous love affair that ended with homicide.”
On Wednesday, Joe Munoz Jr., the ex-husband of Elizabeth Contreras, took the stand to start court proceedings.
He was questioned by Guadalupe Contreras' defense attorney Charles Bunk whether or not he commented during KSAT 12 News' livestream coverage of the trial.
While questioned about commenting on KSAT 12 News' livestream coverage of the retrial, Munoz admitted to Bunk that he did comment on the KSAT livestream with the volume muted.
Bunk asked the court to consider this case as a mistrial, but the motion was dismissed.
If convicted, Contreras faces a sentence of up to life in prison.
More coverage of Guadalupe Contreras' retrial: