SAN ANTONIO – A Bexar County jury on Monday is deliberating the case of a door-to-door salesman charged with fatally shooting a prospective customer.
Richard Amezquita, 35, opened fire on Kerry O'Toole, 53, on Nov. 7, 2015, after the two had an argument, prosecutors said.
Amezquita ignored signs that discouraged solicitation when he knocked on O’Toole’s door, prosecutors said.
The defendant's lawyer, Ed Bartolomei, claims that O’Toole choked his client and threw rocks at his car.
Amezquita ran to his car, where he shot O'Toole four times and called 911, prosecutors said.
Bartolomei claims Amezquita had no choice but to defend himself.
"Are you going to let somebody throw something like that at your face or head? Hit you in the side of the head. I mean, you have a right to protect yourself from what you believe could be harmful or deadly," Bartolomei said.
But prosecutor Kimberly Gonzalez argued that Amezquita knew what he was doing when he called 911.
"He had already been seen. His car was in the neighborhood. He had talked to neighbors that day. Of course, he called 911, because that's how you get your story out. That's how you get away with murder," Gonzalez said.
If Amezquita is found guilty of the murder charge, he could face up to life in prison.
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