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The trial of Henry Segura begins with opening statements Thursday morning in Leon County, Florida. Segura is charged with four counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his girlfriend, Brandi Peters, their 3-year-old child, and her twin 6-year-old daughters who were not his. Peters was found dead, beaten and shot on November 20, 2010, with one child also shot and the others drowned. If convicted, Segura could get the death penalty.
Segura was ruled the main suspect after police learned that he lied about his whereabouts during the time before the killings, and that he also owed Peters $20,000 in back payments for child support. A past girlfriend of Segura’s also told investigators that he had contacted her days beforehand, saying he needed a gun. A bag containing shotgun shell casings was found in his home as well.
The trial is finally taking place after nine postponements. Segura’s defense has claimed that he’s not the killer, and have pointed to evidence supporting this, including a partial DNA match pointing to someone else, and the confession of James Carlos Santos at a pre-trial hearing, where Santos said he order the killings from prison because Peters was allegedly stealing from a drug cartel. The judge said prior to the trial beginning that attorneys will not be allowed to discuss Santos’ claims during opening statements.
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