The defense for Brenda Delgado started on an aggressive foot Monday in her murder-for-trial trial. Defense lawyer George Milner called key prosecution witness Crystal Cortes a liar. Other witnesses are testifying that the defendant previously approached them about killing Dr. Kendra Hatcher, a pediatric dentist.
Prosecutors said Delgado became obsessed with ex-boyfriend Ricardo Paniagua and wanted to get rid of Hatcher, his new lover. She allegedly asked others, including a cousin, to commit murder. Finally, a man named Kristopher Love fatally shot Hatcher in the parking lot of her apartment complex, authorities said.
Cortes admitted to being the getaway driver and testified against Love at his trial. Love was found guilty and sentenced to death. She is expected to take the stand against Delgado. Milner is attempting to use a plea agreement against Cortes.
“She got a deal that would make a Wall Street banker say, ‘Wow,'” he told jurors in Dallas County, Texas. “She got a deal for 35 years. She was about 23 when this happened. Do the math.”
In other words, he’s saying the Cortes was just covering her back. Milner said Cortes lied about planning this with Delgado for weeks. He told jurors that she can’t say what her cover story with the defendant was supposed to be, because there wasn’t one.
Others are testifying, however, that Delgado approached them about killing Hatcher.
[Screengrab via Law&Crime Network]