SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s note: KSAT is livestreaming the entire trial of Otis McKane here. Get a daily recap like this one sent to your inbox by signing up for the free Open Court newsletter.
Jurors in the capital murder trial of Otis McKane were shown a video Friday of the defendant getting a marriage license the day after he was accused of shooting and killing San Antonio Police Detective Benjamin Marconi.
The video shown by the prosecution on Day 5 of the trial was from surveillance cameras installed around the Paul Elizondo Tower building at the Bexar County Courthouse on Nov. 21, 2016, said Danny Chapman, lead communications specialist for the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
Chapman testified that he pulled several video clips at the request of the San Antonio Police Department.
The videos show McKane and Christian Chanel Fields at around 10 a.m. walking from the parking lot into the building, at the security checkpoint, in the Marriage License Office and walking out of the building.
Joyce Ann Mendoza, who issued the marriage license, testified that the couple appeared happy and that McKane “was in a good mood” and said “good morning.”
Mendoza said that McKane admitted that he was delinquent with child support, but he was making payments. Child support payments are among the questions asked on a marriage license.
Mendoza also testified that the couple asked for a waiver to get married that same day, which they did.
Prior to the video shown of McKane at the courthouse, the prosecution focused on the Marconi death investigation by SAPD.
Among the witnesses was SAPD Lt. Brent Bell, who was Marconi’s supervisor when Marconi was killed and one of the lead investigators on the officer-involved shooting team.
Bell testified about how the Marconi death investigation was conducted and how SAPD took precautions because officials “believed the threat was ongoing” because they didn’t immediately know who the shooter was, it happened in front of Public Safety Headquarters and “due to anti-police movement at the time.”
“We knew of a pattern of other officers being targeted, (and) until we apprehended that person, we didn’t know if he would do it again,” Bell told jurors.
Bell said that November 2016 was a tense time for police officers nationwide after several officers were gunned down in ambushes, including one incident in Dallas earlier that year. Because of those incidents, Bell said that SAPD Chief William McManus ordered officers to double up while on duty, and SAPD substations were closed to the general public.
SAPD notified local, regional, state and federal agencies across the state about the vehicle the suspect was driving.
Crime Scene Investigator Brenda Oliva testified about the video she took of the crime scene, which was shown to the jury.
The video showed the inside of Marconi’s police unit, which revealed bullet casings and pools of blood. The video also showed the traffic arms that McKane drove through with his car as he sped away from the scene, prosecutors said.
Another CSI investigator, Treise McDaniel, testified about pictures she took of McKane’s car at night at the intersection of North Calaveras and North Poplar.
Jurors saw photos of apparent paint scrapes to the hood and trunk of McKane’s 2011 Mitsubishi Galant that prosecutors said was caused when he drove through the traffic arms at SAPD Headquarters.
McDaniel also testified how she noticed a defect in the front passenger seat of Marconi’s unit that produced a spent bullet, which she collected for evidence.
McKane could face the death penalty if he is found guilty.
The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Monday. You can watch every moment live on KSAT in this article.
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