By David Lohr
(Continued)
Following Ricardo, Nick Purdy, an American journalist, testified on Eric's behalf. Nick said that on the day of the murder, he had a conference call with Eric and Ricardo from 12:19 to 1:14 p.m. The defense also presented instant message texts, showing that Eric and Nick had been messaging each other throughout the morning and afternoon.
The next defense witness was Rossy Aguello, a hairstylist who testified that she had cut Eric's hair at about 2:00 p.m. and that she was also present when Eric had signed for the rental car.
The last person to testify was Eric. He stated that he had been in Managua at the time of the murder and that he had no involvement in his ex-girlfriend's death.
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| Eric Volz |
In addition to their witnesses, the defense had a rental car voucher, printed by Hertz and signed by Eric, showing that he had in fact accepted delivery of the car at 3:11 p.m., well after the time of the murder and the time the prosecution's witness claimed the Hertz employee had delivered the car. The defense also had records showing that calls made from Eric's cell phone on the day of the murder had originated from a cell phone tower in Managua and that no other towers had registered calls until after he had heard of Doris' murder and left for San Juan.
On February 16, members of the US Embassy were barred from entering the courtroom. The reasons for this action remain unclear. Shortly afterwards, Judge Ivette Toruno Blanco found Eric guilty on all counts and sentenced him to thirty years in prison. Five days later, Judge Blanco failed to appear in court. In her place, a court clerk said that the judge had rejected the testimony of all four-defense witnesses. The clerk also stated the judge had refused to accept the testimony of the medical examiners and that she had discounted the cell phone records and instant messaging documentation. Both Eric and his codefendant, Julion Chamorro, were sentenced to 30 years in prison.
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