Attorneys cross examine friend of Lazcano's at murder trial
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COLFAX, WA - The trial for Daniel Lazcano continued Wednesday in Whitman County, with testimony from one of Lazcano's long-time friends.
Police said Daniel and his brother Frank are accused of murdering 23-year-old Marcus Schur of Rosalia, whose body was found in March of 2012. In court Wednesday morning, attorneys cross-examined Daniel's friend, 23-year-old Ben Evenson of Spokane. They wanted to see how much Evenson had learned about the alleged murder, after Frank Lazcano picked him up from jail back in July, for which Evenson had just been released for an unrelated crime.
"I didn't know at that point what was happening exactly because I just got out of jail," said witness Ben Evenson. "So I didn't really know what was going on, so it just wasn't discussed."
Attorneys also cross-referenced Evenson's claims with transcripts of phone calls and previous interviews with the Sheriff's Department. If Evenson testifies truthfully and his statements match up with what he's previously told investigators, his charge for burglarizing a liquor store will be down-graded to just a trespassing misdemeanor. By late this morning, the defending attorney questioned how much that deal is affecting his testimony and how much of his understanding of the murder is based on rumors.
The trial for Daniel will resume Thursday and possibly last until next Tuesday. As for his brother Frank's trial, it will begin February 25th.
Police said Daniel and his brother Frank are accused of murdering 23-year-old Marcus Schur of Rosalia, whose body was found in March of 2012. In court Wednesday morning, attorneys cross-examined Daniel's friend, 23-year-old Ben Evenson of Spokane. They wanted to see how much Evenson had learned about the alleged murder, after Frank Lazcano picked him up from jail back in July, for which Evenson had just been released for an unrelated crime.
"I didn't know at that point what was happening exactly because I just got out of jail," said witness Ben Evenson. "So I didn't really know what was going on, so it just wasn't discussed."
Attorneys also cross-referenced Evenson's claims with transcripts of phone calls and previous interviews with the Sheriff's Department. If Evenson testifies truthfully and his statements match up with what he's previously told investigators, his charge for burglarizing a liquor store will be down-graded to just a trespassing misdemeanor. By late this morning, the defending attorney questioned how much that deal is affecting his testimony and how much of his understanding of the murder is based on rumors.
The trial for Daniel will resume Thursday and possibly last until next Tuesday. As for his brother Frank's trial, it will begin February 25th.
