The first-degree murder trial of Hector Zambrano, a Grand Junction man accused of strangling his wife, 44–year–old Patricia Reyes to death in 2004, resumed Tuesday at the Mesa County Justice Center with the prosecution resting its case.
Prosecutors called more than a half dozen witnesses, with the main focus surrounding the day and days following the death of Reyes.
Prosecutors called Loretta Wyman, who's daughter dates Zambrano's son Santos, to the stand Tuesday morning, to discuss a conversation between her and Zambrano one or two days after Reyes' death.
According to the testimony, Zambrano told Wyman he loved Reyes and wanted to kill himself, telling her not to be surprised if he did so.
The prosecution also discussed a number of photographs with a detective from the Grand Junction Police Department, which were taken after Zambrano was arrested. The pictures showed Zambrano's upper body, which had a number of scratches and bruises on it.
Following Tuesday's proceedings, Zambrano's attorney made a motion to drop or lessen several of the charges against the defendant, including first degree murder. The motion was denied.