Testimony begins in 2013 Garner couple murder trial
WAKE COUNTY (WTVD) -- Testimony began Wednesday in the trial of a teenager charged with killing a Garner couple in 2013.
Jonathan Santillan, who was 15 at the time, is accused of gunning down Jose Samuel Flores Mendoza and Maria Saravia Mendoza inside their house in the 700 block of Colonial Drive on Jan. 5.
The Mendozas' 3-year-old child was also in the home at the time of the killings, but was not hurt. The couple's older child was not at the house.
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The most emotional testimony Wednesday came from neighbors who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting through an open door where they could see the Mendoza's three-year old son crying uncontrollably.
"What hit me was the sadness of the child,"said Israel Puerta. "He was crying, hugging his father."
The prosecutor has said the Mendozas were the victims of mistaken identity.
In 2013, a Wake County search warrant revealed that a reputed gang member lived at the house for a time before the Mendozas moved in and detectives suspected he was the intended target of the attack.
Santillan and 16-year-old Israel Vasquez of Raleigh were arrested in connection with the couple's deaths. Both were charged with two counts of murder, felony conspiracy, first-degree burglary, possession of stolen property, and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number.
