Thursday, June 21st 2018, 7:04 pm
Testimony has come to an end in a 35-year-old murder trial. The defendant Raul Sierra, 67, ran a cross-country drug operation in the early 1980s and is accused of murdering one of his drug runners.
It took months of DNA testing and witness interviews to tie Sierra to the 1982 murder of 23-year-old Roberto Matos Osorio. The accused gunman and admitted cocaine dealer fled the state after the murder.
An OSBI agent testified in court on Thursday that blood was found on the ceiling, along with a shotgun pellet in the floor of the northwest Oklahoma City home where Osorio was gunned down. His body, only clothed in jeans and socks was discovered wrapped in a red blanket in Pottawatomie County.
SEE: Witness Testimony Reveals Motives Behind 35-Year-Old OKC Murder
DNA testing was not available at the time, but new testing methods have allowed the agency to confirm the blood is in fact from the victim.
Two witnesses who were at the crime scene testified Sierra had a sawed-off shotgun the night of the murder and recalled hearing Sierra say he would kill the young drug runner.
The state medical examiner told the court, Osorio was shot at close range in the head with a sawed-off shotgun and in the chest with a 22-calibur pistol.
The OSBI agent was also questioned by the defense, Sierra's attorneys argued the two witnesses brought to court gave conflicting testimony. They also asked the agent why he did not pursue accessory after the fact charges for their role in moving the body and the clean-up.
He testified the witnesses' cooperation was needed for the investigation, to bring a 35-year-old murder case to justice.
Closing statements are expected to be heard tomorrow morning and then the jury will decide Sierra's fate. He has maintained his innocence throughout the investigation and trial.
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