Tearful testimony in court describes day teen was killed

Friday, April 20, 2018
Tearful testimony in court describes day teen was killed
All of the witnesses today saw some part of the deadly shooting.

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There was tearful testimony in Fresno County Superior Court Thursday from a woman who invited her friend over six years ago.

18-year-old Nicole Jones never made it home.

Prosecutors she was an innocent victim who was shot and killed in Central Fresno by Tony Leon.

All of the witnesses today saw some part of the deadly shooting. But they said, many of the details, they don't remember.

Mickey Aguilar took the stand Thursday, recalling making ceviche in her kitchen with Jones on August 1, 2012. She said they went outside and took a walk. At the corner, she got into a fight with Leon's girlfriend, Vivian.

After the dust settled, she described on a diagram, what happened next, "That's where we, Vivian and he was, and one of his friends when he started shooting."

Earlier in the day, Luis Topete described the gun he says Leon was armed with: a double barrel gun that spewed pellets when it fired.

He was shown the alleged weapon and testified, "That's what it looked like."

Topete told jurors a handful of people were running away from Leon when he heard a loud sound.

"When I heard the shot go off, I heard somebody yelling that they had been hit in the back, and I turned to the middle of the street."

Another witness described the ongoing problems Leon had with others. Erik Ramirez confronted him hours before the homicide to ask if he wanted to fight. He said the defendant told him he would later. He didn't expect to ever see a gun until he said it was pointed at him.

Leon's attorney Charles Magill asked Ramirez, "Could you tell whether or not the barrel was pointed in an up direction or a down direction?" Ramirez replied, "It was straight."

Neighbors testified they didn't know the defendant very well. Most said they knew him from riding his bike or walking around the neighborhood.