On the first day of Isidro Miguel Delacruz’s murder trial, the jury was shown the footage recorded from the responding officer’s dash cam. A week later, Delacruz, 27, was convicted of capital murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend’s daughter.
Officer Marcus Rodriguez was the first responding officer at the home of Tanya Bermea, 37, in the early morning hours on September 2, 2014. He arrived just five minutes after Bermea’s mother had called the San Angelo Police Department.
Officer Rodriguez’s cruiser was outfitted with a dash cam, a feature found in roughly 72% of all state patrol vehicles.
The footage gathered from the dash cam of Rodriguez’s displayed an emotionally distraught Bermea and her mother, and an irate Delacruz. The recording was shown to a quiet jury on the first day of the trial, evoking tears from many of the members. Even Officer Rodriguez shed tears at the sight of some of the crime scene photos.
The dash cam video showed Officer Rodriguez trying to figure out what happened from the various people involved but to no avail. Bermea, too distraught to speak, and Delacruz who simply shouted, provided no clear understanding of the events that had just previously taken place.
The video then showed paramedics arriving on the scene to work on Bermea’s five-year-old daughter, Naiya Villegas, but again without success.
Evidence showed that Delacruz was out drinking in the hours leading up to the death of Naiya Villegas, and went to Bermea’s home in the 2700 block of Houston Street. Bermea barricaded herself in the home in fear of Delacruz, and upon forcing himself into the home, Bermea fled. She was convinced Delacruz was there to hurt her and not her daughter.
Nearby security cameras from nearby businesses caught Bermea walking down her street barefoot, with Delacruz following shortly thereafter.
Both Bermea and her mother showed signs of physical abuse, indicated Delacruz had beaten them both upon arrival. He then took the rest of his frustration out on Naiya Villega.
After being shown the footage from the dash cam, as well as an incriminating amount of other evidence, it took the jury just four hours of deliberation to come to a guilty verdict in the second week of the trial. Delacruz faces death row or life in prison.
What started as an unclear trial turned into a slam dunk for prosecution with the presentation of Officer Rodriguez’s dash cam footage; effectively closing the case on Isidro Miguel Delacruz.
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