As Pablo David Agosto Acevedo, 42, stood trial for the murder of Pedie Edwards II, 39, on Feb. 4, defense attorneys sparred with state prosecutors over testimony and the legitimacy of ballistic evidence.
The mother of Acevedo’s children testified cryptically looking at the floor as she responded to questions from both prosecuting and defence attorneys.
While prosecutors asked her to identify the individuals speaking in an audio recording from her cellphone’s voicemail, defense attorney Mauricio Barreiro successfully petitioned the judge to instruct jurors to disregard her answers, since she could only guess at the messages’ content.
The prosecution offered a plea of 60 years and five years of probation for firearm use and a reduced charge of second-degree murder, but Acevedo rejected the offer after police said he disposed of Edward’s body in New Jersey.
New Jersey detectives responded to an investigation following a 911 call for a body found at a wooden structure in the Hackensack River. Detectives brought the body back to shore to uncover how long it had been there. Ultimately, it turned out to be Edwards.
Prosecutors introduced a firearms examiner who testified that the cartridge casings police retrieved from the scene of Edwards’ death on the 600 block of N. Decker Avenue had likely all been discharged from the same firearm.
Defense counsel emphasized that the examiner’s findings did not identify any specific firearm. T
A prosecution witness who was arrested after refusing a subpoena to testify was instructed to return after two days to allow defense counsel time to prepare for questioning.
Two officers who responded to a report of a burned car found in a Dundalk field testified to body-worn camera footage captured during their examination of the destroyed vehicle. One of the officers told the jury that he allegedly found a wallet with the defendant’s name in the passenger’s seat, and a credit card bearing the victim’s name in the back of the car.
The wallet was shown to the jury. Defense counsel emphasized that police cannot confirm when the wallet and credit card were placed in the vehicle.
Nor were police able to identify the legal owner of the vehicle who drove it last.
Acevedo’s charging documents allege that he shot Edwards in a car that Edwards drove on Nov. 1, 2023, then burned the car to dispose of the evidence.
The trial continued on Feb. 5, and will continue through Feb. 11.
