BEXAR COUNTY, Texas — An attorney assigned to the prosecution team of the high-profile murder trial of Juan David Ortiz has resigned.
Associate District Attorney Joshua Davila stepped down Thursday morning, according to Webb County officials.
Webb County District Attorney and lead prosecutor Isidro Alaniz stated Davila's resignation has nothing to do with the ongoing trial and will not impact the remainder of court proceedings.
The jury viewed more video of the 10-hour interrogation between the former Border Patrol agent and law enforcement.
Ortiz began opening up about his interactions with Erika Pena, the woman he paid for sex and held at gunpoint before she escaped and contacted a Texas DPS trooper.
Ortiz told investigators he felt an "impending doom" and suicidal during the events leading up to his arrest at a hotel parking garage on Sept. 15, 2018.
Investigators held up crime scene photos for Ortiz to see, explaining how the four victims looked before and after their murders.
The trial was moved from Webb County to San Antonio. Ortiz is facing four counts of murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and unlawful restraint.
On the third day of the trial Wednesday, jurors for the first time watched scenes from the 10-hour interrogation in which the former Border Patrol agent confessed to killing women who worked as prostitutes in 2018.
The interrogation occurred early in the morning on Sept. 15, 2018, just hours after authorities found Ortiz hiding in the bed of a pickup truck in a hotel parking garage.
Ortiz initially claimed in the interview he had no idea why he was arrested after leading authorities on a two and a half hour manhunt. He could be seen smiling and laughing as he recalled evading Texas DPS troopers who attempted to apprehend him at a Stripes parking lot.
The trial continues Friday and will be livestreamed within this article.
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