3rd suspect on trial in Arivaca case
There are two on death row so far.
When Jason Bush gunned down Raul Junior Flores and Brisenia Flores in May 2009, Albert Gaxiola was in Tucson with his girlfriend, defense attorney Jack Lansdale told jurors Tuesday.
And while it’s true Gaxiola’s DNA was found on an AK-47 left inside the Flores home the morning of the slayings, that can be explained, Lansdale said.
Opening statements were Tuesday in Gaxiola’s first-degree-murder trial in Pima County Superior Court.
Deputy Pima County Attorney Kellie Johnson told jurors the evidence will show Gaxiola conspired with Shawna Forde, 43, and Bush, 36, to kill Flores, 29, because he was a competitor in the drug trade.
Convicted felon Oin Oakstar, text messages, DNA and Flores’ wife, Gina Gonzalez, all tie Gaxiola, 44, to the slayings, Johnson said.
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