Thursday, June 16th 2016, 6:40 pm
Thursday, was day two of testimony in the case against Devin Rogers. Rogers held a woman hostage in November 2014 in the law office where she worked.
The jury heard the recording of the negotiator talking with Rogers during the ordeal. Jurors also heard from that negotiator, the victim's boss, who is one of the people she communicated with while being held at gunpoint, and the victim herself took the stand.
"She was scared. She was breathing heavy, and her breathing pattern suggested she was in trouble," Tyler Christians of Farzaneh Law Firm said.
That was the next phone call Jennifer Showkat made after she called her father. She was held hostage at gunpoint. The man with the gun, Devin Rogers, let her use her phone and told her she could let her friends and family know she was okay.
Tyler Christians was her boss. Thursday, he took the stand in the trial against Rogers and sat across from the man who hijacked his office for hours as police negotiated with him to give up.
"Frustrating, because his situation could have been prevented and not happened and didn't need to happen. He didn't need to do what he did," Christians said.
Christians was at lunch when he got the call and by the time he made it back to the law firm, the place was surrounded by police. Among them, was the negotiator who testified Thursday morning as prosecutors played the recording of his lengthy exchange with Rogers.
Christians described the moment Showkat was finally set free.
"Euphoric, exciting and emotional," he said. "It's odd how it works out in circumstances like this happen in life to specific people, and she can handle it, and I'm very proud of her."
Day three of testimony continues Friday.
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