The trial of the man accused of brutally raping and murdering two-year-old Katherine Cardenas continued today with testimony from detectives and family members of the little girl.
And it also included testimony from a man who's words seemed to explain why Jose Arredondo would have turned on the baby girl.
Annette Garcia was in the courtroom today.
She has the details.
“This is a complex case. We are in day four. I wouldn’t be surprised if we go into next week.”
After days of jury selection and testimony, the trial of Jose Eduardo 'Lalo' Arredondo continues.
Accused of the horrific murder and brutal rape of a 2-year-old, Arredondo sat and stared as prosecutors showed the jury exactly what the defendant was wearing when the baby died.
The blood stained off-white denim jeans and a yellow shirt, displayed before the jury in court.
The articles of clothing were discovered in the Arredondo home.
Samples of d-n-a taken from the jeans, turned up to be that of Katherine Cardenas.
And the jury got to see him wearing the clothes too.
Surveillance video from a convenience store taken hours before the crime, show Katherine Cardenas’ mother, her friend Miguel and Lalo Arredono wearing that yellow shirt and white pants.
“its a voluminous amount of evidence.”
Physical evidence, and a reason why.
On the stand today was that friend, Miguel Bolanos seen in the surveillance video.
He says Arredondo tried making advances at Katherine’s mother Paty.
Though she and Arredondo had a sexual relationship in the past, she rejected him that night.
Instead, right after they left the convenience store, Arredondo witnessed her kiss Miguel Bolanos and Paty chose to go to an abandoned house and engage in a sexual act with her new friend.
Arredondo was told to wait outside.
Prosecutors say at that moment, Arredondo's rejection turned to rage.
And when the couple went back outside less than ten minutes later ... Arredondo was gone.
He returned to Paty Olguins home.
Lead prosecutor district attorney Isidro Alaniz told jurors that sometime later, between four and five in the morning the rage became revenge and little Katherine Cardenas was snatched from her home.
She was brutally tortured beaten and raped.
Prosecutors say, revenge was complete, opened the drawer of a cabinet outside the home.
Police would later find Katherine’s body in that cabinet.
Arredondo's family sat outside the courtroom.
Katherine’s aunt inside taking the stand.
Describing the baby as a little girl full of life and laughter.
It was difficult for her to recount the moments she discovered the little girl was missing.
And even more difficult to accept what happened.
“Any loss of life is tragic and there’s a young person on trial here too. So nobody wins.”
The trial will continue tomorrow morning.
It’s expected to last well into next week.