Overview
- On Thursday, relatives and girlfriend Chelsea Howell delivered emotional impact statements describing the lasting toll of Officer Yandy Chirino’s death.
- Jurors earlier viewed surveillance footage of the rushed hospital transport and watched an interrogation video in which Jason Banegas said the officer grabbed him.
- Medical examiners testified that Chirino died from a gunshot wound to the neck as autopsy photographs were shown in court.
- Prosecutors argue the killing of an on-duty officer meets statutory aggravating factors, while the defense is expected to emphasize Banegas’s youth and background.
- Banegas, who pleaded guilty in October and was 18 at the time of the 2021 shooting, now faces a life or death decision that requires at least eight jurors to recommend execution.