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Testimony began this week in the trial of a man prosecutors allege paid a couple $15,000 in drugs and cash in 2022 to fatally shoot 43-year-old Gary Escareno while he was driving a car in sa国际传媒官网网页入口.

Martin Jerome Trujillo, 58, is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy and shooting at or from a motor vehicle in Escareno鈥檚 killing. The 2nd Judicial District Court trial is scheduled through Friday before Judge Clara Moran.

鈥淭his is a murder-for-hire case,鈥� Assistant District Attorney Christine Jablonsky said Monday in opening statements. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to tell you (Trujillo) pulled the trigger. But what I am going to tell you is that he is absolutely responsible for Gary Escareno鈥檚 death 鈥� just as responsible as the person who pulled the trigger.鈥�

sa国际传媒官网网页入口 police found Escareno fatally shot in the head in the driver鈥檚 seat of a white Kia shortly before midnight on May 1, 2022, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. His car had crashed into a light pole at Tahiti and Morenci NE, near Candelaria and Juan Tabo NE.

Witnesses told police they heard gunfire and saw a man and a woman fleeing the scene.

Prosecutors allege that Trujillo believed Escareno had robbed him, Jablonsky told jurors. In revenge, Trujillo hired Freddy Granger and his girlfriend, Cassandra Dominguez, to kill Escareno in exchange for $15,000 in the form of fentanyl and methamphetamine, a vehicle and cash.

Granger, 43, pleaded guilty in March to first-degree murder in Escareno鈥檚 killing and was sentenced to life in prison, which requires him to serve at least 30 years before he is eligible for parole.

Dominguez, 40, pleaded guilty in March to second-degree murder and conspiracy in the killing and faces up to 18 years in prison, according to court records. Her sentencing hearing has not been scheduled.

Trujillo鈥檚 attorney, Keren Fenderson, described Granger and Dominguez as 鈥淏onnie and Clyde,鈥� who committed crimes to support their drug habits and killed Escareno for their own reasons. Trujillo had no part in the killing, she said.

鈥淎ll the players you will learn during this case have their own agendas, their own motives,鈥� Fenderson said in opening statements. She described Trujillo and Escareno as 鈥渇riends.鈥�

Fenderson told jurors to remain skeptical of testimony from Dominguez, whom she described as the state鈥檚 key witness against Trujillo.

鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 until months and months and months later that she starts pointing the finger to Mr. Trujillo,鈥� Fenderson said.

The prosecution鈥檚 case will rely heavily on electronic communications, including phone records and text messages between actors in the case, Jablonsky told jurors.