Overview
- Jurors must choose death or life without parole after Jason Banegas’ guilty plea to killing Officer Yandy Chirino during a 2021 struggle following burglary reports.
- Banegas’ mother testified by video about being trafficked as a child and asked the court to spare her son, citing his psychological problems.
- Defense witnesses, including a neuropsychologist, a juvenile‑justice therapist and a childhood friend, described abuse, poverty, depression, homelessness and repeated losses; the jury heard a recording of Banegas singing about his pain.
- Prosecutors completed their case last week, emphasizing statutory aggravators and victim‑impact testimony that highlighted Chirino’s on‑duty killing and the two shots that proved fatal.
- Closing arguments are expected Monday with deliberations to follow, while reports differ on the death‑recommendation threshold, citing either eight or nine of 12 jurors.