Opening statements made, witnesses called in Vazquez trial

COLUMBUS, Neb. (KOLN) - Opening statements and first witnesses were called on Tuesday in the trial of Felipe Vazquez. He is facing first-degree murder charges, accused of killing Lincoln Police Investigator Mario Herrera in August of 2020.

The state laid out their map for the trial of 19-year-old Vazquez, who was 17 at the time of the shooting. Vazquez is facing seven charges.

The state said Herrera was helping serve a warrant at a house at 33rd and Vine that day. He was there to help translate. Officers learned that Vazquez and another person, Orion Ross, were locked in a bedroom.

Herrera went to the Vine Street side of the house to make sure nobody could jump out a window. The state said Vazquez and Ross did break out through the window. That’s when officers heard shots and found Herrera shot in the chest. He died from his injuries 12 days later.

“At the conclusion of this, the evidence, videos and and audio recordings, I will be asking of a verdict of guilty on all counts,” said Pat Condon, Prosecution.

“Once you get past those initial emotions, you have a job to do,” said Candice Wooster, Defense. “You cannot let sympathy make your decisions.”

The defense plans to say this was manslaughter, not murder.

The first witness called was an LPD sergeant on the scene that day. He was also tasked with finding Herrera’s family and getting them to the hospital.

Witness testimony from Investigator Matt Franken was to prove that there were shots fired when Vazquez and Ross left the bedroom window, which the state says resulted in Herrera being shot in the chest.

Carrie Herrera was the second person to take the witness stand in the murder trial. Carrie Herrera said on that Wednesday morning, her children were gone from the home and her Husband was at work. She was getting ready for work when he stopped in to pick something up.

“He gave me a kiss and said he loved me and then he left and I went to work about 10 minutes later and I worked for a couple hours,” said Carrie. “We were getting ready to serve lunch and one of the counselors at Pius said, someone needs to talk to you.”

The jury will be deliberating in Columbus until March 25.