Girlfriend testifies in Ithaca murder trial
It's a day of emotional testimony as the victim's girlfriend takes the stand in an Ithaca murder trial. Corbin Whyte, 28, is accused in the shooting that left another man dead. Tamara Lindstrom has the details from inside the courtroom.
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ITHACA, N.Y. -- The details of a night that ended in a fatal shooting were at the center of testimony in the Tompkins County Courthouse.
Corbin Whyte, 28, is charged with murdering Paul Garcia, 47, in December of 2010.
On Tuesday, jurors heard from Garcia's girlfriend, Giselle Mojica, who described the night Garcia was killed. The witness said she had kicked Garcia out of her house in the weeks before the shooting, because she suspected he had been using cocaine. She testified that Whyte had made sexual advances toward her, angering Garcia.
On December 6th, she and Garcia lured Whyte into the witnesses' apartment, where Garcia held a knife to Whyte's throat and robbed him. Mojica said several phone calls were made between Garcia and Whyte after the robbery, and described hearing a voice and then gunshots coming from outside her apartment just before Garcia was found dead in the parking lot.
Whyte's attorney pointed out that the woman had changed her story several times throughout her interviews with police.
The defense maintains that there is no evidence linking Whyte to the shooting.
The prosecution will continue to call witnesses Wednesday.