ORTA, JACOB AVERY, Age 16 of Garland was born July 13, 1988 and passed away May 15, 2005. He liked to play basketball and break dancing. Jacob grew up in Fresno, California and spent his last five years in Garland. He is survived by his mother, Anna Michelle Montelongo; brothers, Carlos and Nicholas Orta and Argenis Stewart; sisters, Elisa and Desiray Panuco, Leticia Stewart; grandmother, Janet Montelongo, and an uncle, Vince Montelongo. A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday May 20, 2005 in Williams Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jorge Aleman officiating.
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Women who witnessed the 2005 Garland gang beating death of a 16-year-old boy shouted for the attack to stop and wanted to call police, according to testimony in the trial of one of the men charged in the case.
Instead, they fled the scene with the seven gang members and kept quiet for four months, they said, in part because they were scared about what might happen to them if they didn’t keep quiet like they were told.
“They just beat that boy up,” Marisa Cordova, 24, testified on Wednesday. “If I didn’t listen I thought they might do something to me.”
The testimony came in the Dallas County trial of Sergio Valencia, 25, who faces a felony charge of engaging in organized crime in the death of Jacob Orta. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
The women said they were out driving around with Valencia and the others early on the morning of May 15, 2005. They stopped at a gas station, where the gang members started arguing with another group.
Then it was on to a park, where gang members announced they wanted to go find some rival gang members to mess with. Valencia drove a pickup and the women followed behind him in another vehicle. The women said they weren’t sure where they were going.
The cars passed two boys walking along a Garland road before turning into a darkened alley by a church. The gang members got out and confronted the two boys, Orta and friend Bobby Williams, and accused them of being in a rival gang. They were not in any gang.
“There was a lot of arguing,” said Denise Salazar, who was 14 at the time. “Bobby took off running and Jacob — they started fighting with him.”
Two gang members chased after Williams, who got away with a broken arm. The other five gang members, including Valencia, attacked Orta, according to testimony. They hit him with baseball bats and punched and kicked him.
Prosecutor Travis Wiles asked Salazar if Orta was fighting back.
“A little bit, until they knocked him to the floor,” Salazar said as she wept. “They were still hitting him, kicking him, just jumping him.”
Her sister, Jovanna Salazar, said she “saw Jacob fall to the ground and they were kicking him.”
Denise Salazar said she also heard Orta insisting that he wasn’t in a gang.
“No, I’m not a part of no gang,” Orta said, according to Denise Salazar. “No, you got it wrong. I’m not a part of nothing.”
The women were screaming for the beating to stop, she said.
After the beating, they all left Orta bleeding in the road. Most of the gang members rode with Valencia, but some also rode with the women.
The women said they could see Orta badly injured in the road.
“There was blood, I believe it was coming from his head,” Denise Salazar said.
A van ran over Orta’s body and did not stop. He suffered catastrophic injuries all over his body. The autopsy showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
The women all expressed remorse about what happened and for not coming forward sooner. The police tracked them down months later, in September 2005.
Defense attorney Karo Johnson accused the girls of being members of gangs, which they all denied. He also highlighted the fact that they continued to associate with the gang members even after the beating.
Several times as the women testified about details of that night, Valencia shook his head in disagreement and leaned in to talk to his attorneys.
Others charged in the case have received sentences ranging from probation to 50 years in prison. Valencia, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Texas late last year after he was taken into custody in central Mexico.
Testimony is expected to continue Thursday before state District Judge John Creuzot.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Women who witnessed the 2005 Garland gang beating death of a 16-year-old boy shouted for the attack to stop and wanted to call police, according to testimony in the trial of one of the men charged in the case.
Instead, they fled the scene with the seven gang members and kept quiet for four months, they said, in part because they were scared about what might happen to them if they didn’t keep quiet like they were told.
“They just beat that boy up,” Marisa Cordova, 24, testified on Wednesday. “If I didn’t listen I thought they might do something to me.”
The testimony came in the Dallas County trial of Sergio Valencia, 25, who faces a felony charge of engaging in organized crime in the death of Jacob Orta. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
The women said they were out driving around with Valencia and the others early on the morning of May 15, 2005. They stopped at a gas station, where the gang members started arguing with another group.
Then it was on to a park, where gang members announced they wanted to go find some rival gang members to mess with. Valencia drove a pickup and the women followed behind him in another vehicle. The women said they weren’t sure where they were going.
The cars passed two boys walking along a Garland road before turning into a darkened alley by a church. The gang members got out and confronted the two boys, Orta and friend Bobby Williams, and accused them of being in a rival gang. They were not in any gang.
“There was a lot of arguing,” said Denise Salazar, who was 14 at the time. “Bobby took off running and Jacob — they started fighting with him.”
Two gang members chased after Williams, who got away with a broken arm. The other five gang members, including Valencia, attacked Orta, according to testimony. They hit him with baseball bats and punched and kicked him.
Prosecutor Travis Wiles asked Salazar if Orta was fighting back.
“A little bit, until they knocked him to the floor,” Salazar said as she wept. “They were still hitting him, kicking him, just jumping him.”
Her sister, Jovanna Salazar, said she “saw Jacob fall to the ground and they were kicking him.”
Denise Salazar said she also heard Orta insisting that he wasn’t in a gang.
“No, I’m not a part of no gang,” Orta said, according to Denise Salazar. “No, you got it wrong. I’m not a part of nothing.”
The women were screaming for the beating to stop, she said.
After the beating, they all left Orta bleeding in the road. Most of the gang members rode with Valencia, but some also rode with the women.
The women said they could see Orta badly injured in the road.
“There was blood, I believe it was coming from his head,” Denise Salazar said.
A van ran over Orta’s body and did not stop. He suffered catastrophic injuries all over his body. The autopsy showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
The women all expressed remorse about what happened and for not coming forward sooner. The police tracked them down months later, in September 2005.
Defense attorney Karo Johnson accused the girls of being members of gangs, which they all denied. He also highlighted the fact that they continued to associate with the gang members even after the beating.
Several times as the women testified about details of that night, Valencia shook his head in disagreement and leaned in to talk to his attorneys.
Others charged in the case have received sentences ranging from probation to 50 years in prison. Valencia, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Texas late last year after he was taken into custody in central Mexico.
Testimony is expected to continue Thursday before state District Judge John Creuzot.
ORTA, JACOB AVERY, Age 16 of Garland was born July 13, 1988 and passed away May 15, 2005. He liked to play basketball and break dancing. Jacob grew up in Fresno, California and spent his last five years in Garland. He is survived by his mother, Anna Michelle Montelongo; brothers, Carlos and Nicholas Orta and Argenis Stewart; sisters, Elisa and Desiray Panuco, Leticia Stewart; grandmother, Janet Montelongo, and an uncle, Vince Montelongo. A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday May 20, 2005 in Williams Memorial Chapel with Pastor Jorge Aleman officiating.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Women who witnessed the 2005 Garland gang beating death of a 16-year-old boy shouted for the attack to stop and wanted to call police, according to testimony in the trial of one of the men charged in the case.
Instead, they fled the scene with the seven gang members and kept quiet for four months, they said, in part because they were scared about what might happen to them if they didn’t keep quiet like they were told.
“They just beat that boy up,” Marisa Cordova, 24, testified on Wednesday. “If I didn’t listen I thought they might do something to me.”
The testimony came in the Dallas County trial of Sergio Valencia, 25, who faces a felony charge of engaging in organized crime in the death of Jacob Orta. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
The women said they were out driving around with Valencia and the others early on the morning of May 15, 2005. They stopped at a gas station, where the gang members started arguing with another group.
Then it was on to a park, where gang members announced they wanted to go find some rival gang members to mess with. Valencia drove a pickup and the women followed behind him in another vehicle. The women said they weren’t sure where they were going.
The cars passed two boys walking along a Garland road before turning into a darkened alley by a church. The gang members got out and confronted the two boys, Orta and friend Bobby Williams, and accused them of being in a rival gang. They were not in any gang.
“There was a lot of arguing,” said Denise Salazar, who was 14 at the time. “Bobby took off running and Jacob — they started fighting with him.”
Two gang members chased after Williams, who got away with a broken arm. The other five gang members, including Valencia, attacked Orta, according to testimony. They hit him with baseball bats and punched and kicked him.
Prosecutor Travis Wiles asked Salazar if Orta was fighting back.
“A little bit, until they knocked him to the floor,” Salazar said as she wept. “They were still hitting him, kicking him, just jumping him.”
Her sister, Jovanna Salazar, said she “saw Jacob fall to the ground and they were kicking him.”
Denise Salazar said she also heard Orta insisting that he wasn’t in a gang.
“No, I’m not a part of no gang,” Orta said, according to Denise Salazar. “No, you got it wrong. I’m not a part of nothing.”
The women were screaming for the beating to stop, she said.
After the beating, they all left Orta bleeding in the road. Most of the gang members rode with Valencia, but some also rode with the women.
The women said they could see Orta badly injured in the road.
“There was blood, I believe it was coming from his head,” Denise Salazar said.
A van ran over Orta’s body and did not stop. He suffered catastrophic injuries all over his body. The autopsy showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
The women all expressed remorse about what happened and for not coming forward sooner. The police tracked them down months later, in September 2005.
Defense attorney Karo Johnson accused the girls of being members of gangs, which they all denied. He also highlighted the fact that they continued to associate with the gang members even after the beating.
Several times as the women testified about details of that night, Valencia shook his head in disagreement and leaned in to talk to his attorneys.
Others charged in the case have received sentences ranging from probation to 50 years in prison. Valencia, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Texas late last year after he was taken into custody in central Mexico.
Testimony is expected to continue Thursday before state District Judge John Creuzot.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Women who witnessed the 2005 Garland gang beating death of a 16-year-old boy shouted for the attack to stop and wanted to call police, according to testimony in the trial of one of the men charged in the case.
Instead, they fled the scene with the seven gang members and kept quiet for four months, they said, in part because they were scared about what might happen to them if they didn’t keep quiet like they were told.
“They just beat that boy up,” Marisa Cordova, 24, testified on Wednesday. “If I didn’t listen I thought they might do something to me.”
The testimony came in the Dallas County trial of Sergio Valencia, 25, who faces a felony charge of engaging in organized crime in the death of Jacob Orta. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
The women said they were out driving around with Valencia and the others early on the morning of May 15, 2005. They stopped at a gas station, where the gang members started arguing with another group.
Then it was on to a park, where gang members announced they wanted to go find some rival gang members to mess with. Valencia drove a pickup and the women followed behind him in another vehicle. The women said they weren’t sure where they were going.
The cars passed two boys walking along a Garland road before turning into a darkened alley by a church. The gang members got out and confronted the two boys, Orta and friend Bobby Williams, and accused them of being in a rival gang. They were not in any gang.
“There was a lot of arguing,” said Denise Salazar, who was 14 at the time. “Bobby took off running and Jacob — they started fighting with him.”
Two gang members chased after Williams, who got away with a broken arm. The other five gang members, including Valencia, attacked Orta, according to testimony. They hit him with baseball bats and punched and kicked him.
Prosecutor Travis Wiles asked Salazar if Orta was fighting back.
“A little bit, until they knocked him to the floor,” Salazar said as she wept. “They were still hitting him, kicking him, just jumping him.”
Her sister, Jovanna Salazar, said she “saw Jacob fall to the ground and they were kicking him.”
Denise Salazar said she also heard Orta insisting that he wasn’t in a gang.
“No, I’m not a part of no gang,” Orta said, according to Denise Salazar. “No, you got it wrong. I’m not a part of nothing.”
The women were screaming for the beating to stop, she said.
After the beating, they all left Orta bleeding in the road. Most of the gang members rode with Valencia, but some also rode with the women.
The women said they could see Orta badly injured in the road.
“There was blood, I believe it was coming from his head,” Denise Salazar said.
A van ran over Orta’s body and did not stop. He suffered catastrophic injuries all over his body. The autopsy showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system.
The women all expressed remorse about what happened and for not coming forward sooner. The police tracked them down months later, in September 2005.
Defense attorney Karo Johnson accused the girls of being members of gangs, which they all denied. He also highlighted the fact that they continued to associate with the gang members even after the beating.
Several times as the women testified about details of that night, Valencia shook his head in disagreement and leaned in to talk to his attorneys.
Others charged in the case have received sentences ranging from probation to 50 years in prison. Valencia, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Texas late last year after he was taken into custody in central Mexico.
Testimony is expected to continue Thursday before state District Judge John Creuzot.
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