Family slain

Jose and Yessica Escobedo with sons Luis Julian (left) and Luis Damian (right). Husband, wife and two children from Greenacres found shot to death off Florida’s Turnpike in northern Port St. Lucie. More news, photos

More than a month ago, a federal grand jury for the first time saw the bullet-riddled bodies of Jose Luis Escobedo and his family as they lay dead on Florida’s Turnpike.

Today they may begin deciding the fates of four people accused of participating in the drug ring prosecutors say eventually led to the family’s deaths. Two of those men, Daniel Troya and Ricardo Sanchez, could face death if convicted on charges related to the deaths.

Testimony in the case ended with more pictures Tuesday as defense attorneys tried in less than two hours to counter weeks of testimony from government witnesses who gave jurors a view into the alleged drug empire headed by Danny Varela that brought high quantities of cocaine to South Florida and gun violence to Palm Beach County streets.

Varela and girlfriend Liana Lee Lopez could face up to life in prison if convicted on drug conspiracy and other charges.

The biggest evidence from the defense came in the form of pictures, video and toll receipts from a silver vehicle that entered and exited the Turnpike during the early hours of Oct. 13, 2006, the night the Escobedo, his wife Yessica and 4 and 3-year-old sons Luis Julian and Luis Damian were killed.

Sanchez’s attorney Michael Cohen asked for and received U.S. District Judge Daniel T.K. Hurley’s permission to show jurors the items over objections from Assistant U.S. Attorney John Kastrenakes.

“Our position has always been that someone else did it,” Cohen told Hurley.

Cohen said he hoped jurors would notice the fact that the car entered and exited the highway around the same time as both the Escobedos’ SUV and the maroon van tied to the killings. He further hoped jurors would take that to mean the car was possibly involved or that Sanchez and Troya would not have had time to stop and kill the family just south of Fort Pierce and still keep up with the flow of traffic to exit the roadway in Palm Beach County.

Prosecutors had asked Hurley in court records to keep Cohen from calling two witnesses - an expert on Mexican drug cartels and a federal prison inmate who said someone else confessed to the crime - but Cohen never called either witness.

Instead, he and Varela’s attorney Robert Gershman questioned detectives on their handling of the investigation.

Closing arguments are scheduled to begin this morning.

Prosecutors say Jose Luis Escobedo worked as a drug connection between Mexico, Texas and Florida for Varela and was killed to steal the drugs he had in the family’s SUV and to erase a drug debt Varela’s crew had incurred.

The Escobedos’ family members seated in the courtroom cried as prosecutors ended their case.

One of the last photos they and jurors got to see Tuesday was one of Escobedo and Varela standing together in happier times. The reflections from their white T-shirts on the projector screen in the courtroom cast an almost blinding glow.

Varela was standing ahead of Escobedo, smiling wide so his gold grill showed. Behind him stood Escobedo, unsmiling, right hand outward with his finger pointing directly at Varela.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 24th, 2009 at 8:16 pm and is filed under Escobedo trial, Stuart. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.