Day 6 of La Mesa Street Murders Trial; witness identifies Strong as the suspect

Thursday marks day six of the La Mesa Street Murders Trial. During trial, a key witness changed his initial account of the suspect description from 2005 and instead says Preston Strong is the man he saw on the night of the murders.

The murders occurred June 24, 2005, and at that time the witness (whose name the court ordered be withheld until the end of the trial), told police officers and detectives that the man he saw in the backyard of the home was a Hispanic man.

The witness provided information for a composite drawing on two occasions: one on the night of the murder and the second about three weeks after that. He described a Hispanic man during both occasions.

However, when that witness took the stand Thursday, February 23, he said he had lied for more than 10 years.

“I feel like there is a reason why I’m here and I can get this off my chest after all these years,” shared the witness, stricken with emotion.

When asked why he lied, the witness said he had been pressured by his girlfriend to not get involved in the case.

“She kept badgering me,” he explained.

He also said he was under a lot of stress on the night of the murders when he provided the details for the first drawing.

“I told him I didn’t feel comfortable because the victims [family members] were in the lobby and I could hear them crying,” the witness said. “I felt like they weren’t listening. The officer was laughing right before he started.”

The witness continued by saying the officer conducting the composite drawing dismissed his request and carried on with the interview.

“I felt why even bother,” he said.

Moreover, during the interview for the second composite drawing, the witness said he was also uncomfortable.

“All I could see was the victim’s face,” he said.

The witness also said that during the second interview he was also shown pictures of about 20 suspects, but said Strong’s picture wasn’t included in the lineup. The witness said he was shown the lineup of photos before starting the composite drawing.

It wasn’t until years after the murders that the victim said he recognized the true murderer when his sister showed him a picture of Strong.

According to the witness, his sister had seen the picture in the newspaper.

“About five or six years ago,” the witness said. “She told me to do the right thing.”

During the cross-examination, Defense Attorney Ray Hanna, questioned the witness’ motives, honesty and memory.

The witness had a hard time recalling the officers he spoke with on the night of the murders, though he did recall being interviewed.

“I told the officer they needed to go in there because the kids were there,” the witness said.

The witness also said he remembered more details about Luis Rios, the victim he found injured in the backyard, than he remembered about the suspect.

“Today you remember the victim more than Strong?” Hanna asked.

“Correct,” the witness replied.

The witness admitted to telling officers the suspect was a “short, stocky, Mexican guy.”

In addition, the witness admitted he had been drinking in the hours leading to the murders, saying he “drank only two beers that day.”

“My girlfriend and I would pick our days, because we fight when we both drink,” he said.

Defense Attorney Ray Hanna, then questioned the witness about a meeting he had with an investigator in January 2015. During the lunch meeting, the witness “didn’t dispute” telling the investigator that he was “more than sure the suspect was Hispanic.”

“Why did you lie?” Hanna asked.

“Because I’ve carried this with me so long I never wanted this thing to happen,”
the witness replied.

(Towards the end of the cross examination Hanna once again asked why the witness had lied to the investigator in 2015. The witness replied, “I felt he just wanted an extra notch on his belt.”)

The witness said he finally told the defense the truth around February 10, 2017, and a few days later he told prosecutors the truth as well.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys seemed to support the witness’ account, which states that on the night of the murders, the witness had been drinking in his backyard when he heard a man scream for help and gun shots–about four.

The witness said he jumped his backyard fence, ran across the alley and jumped the wall into the family’s backyard where he found Rios lying on the ground. The witness says he also saw the suspect, which he identified on Thursday as being Preston Strong.

“We stared at each other. He looked at me, he looked at his gun and then just casually walked back into the house,” the witness said. “I started to follow him but then I saw a blood trail.”