Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Andrade Trial Begins
Posted by Monica Roberts at 12:01 AM
http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2009/04/andrade-trial-begins.htmlIn a few hours the opening arguments in the murder trial of Allen Ray Andrade, the accused killer of Angie Zapata, will begin in the Weld County Courthouse in Greeley, CO. The trial is expected to last two weeks, and there's already been pretrial fireworks.
Weld District court Judge Marcelo Kopcow, who will be hearing the case, issued a 31 page ruling on March 11 that that defendant statements made after 39 minutes of questioning will be disallowed after Andrade told Greeley detective Greg Tharp 'I'm done. Yeah, I'm not talking right now' [that] "... is a clear statement of the defendant's request to remain silent and cut off further questioning.."
Also disallowed is evidence possibly increasing the severity of sentencing due to Andrade's alleged gang membership. As part of that gang culture, all sexual activities considered non-heterosexual are punishable by beatdown, expulsion and even death, which would make killing Zapata seem more of an imperative to Andrade.
