Posted on 06/20/2011 6:17:32 PM PDT by Racehorse
Aside from the murder and kidnapping charges hanging over her head, San Antonio resident Gloria Gamez, 46, might have looked like a bespectacled soccer mom Monday as her trial began.
But Gamez, who also went by the alias “Lorna Mello,” could face up to life in prison if jurors in the 437th state District Court convict her. Through a Spanish interpreter, she pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors projected graphic images onto the courtroom wall of the charred remains of Herman Diaz III, 38, whose torture and death she is accused of having orchestrated.
Gamez was a mid-level drug dealer who rented several run-down residences out of which she paid addicts to operate drug houses, prosecutors Samantha DiMaio and David Lunan said in opening statements.
When someone stole tens of thousands of dollars worth of drug money and jewelry from her during a burglary in October 2007, she soon came to suspect customers Diaz and Cecilia Coronado, prosecutors said.
Held captive for days, Diaz was kicked, punched and beaten with pipes and chains by other addicts who were prompted by Gamez with free drugs, DiMaio said. His body was later wrapped in plastic, mummy-like, and left in a closet until someone dumped it and set it on fire under a bridge along New Laredo Highway, she said.
SNIP
Coronado, the other woman Gamez allegedly suspected, had been close to the defendant since she was hired to dance for Gamez's son at his birthday party, prosecutors said.
After the burglary, Coronado was tortured and held captive for more than six months before she was able to find a cell phone and call 911, DiMaio told the jury. By the time police found her, she had two black eyes, burns, cuts on her face and a stove mark on her buttocks.
(Excerpt) Read more at mysanantonio.com ...
They describe her appearance, but don’t show her picture. Odd.
Google her. She’s the one, I bet, in front of the line up measure (or whatever you call it)
But she's just a 'resident', right? Not an illegal alien?
Perish the thought.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.