BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A murder trial for a man charged in connection with a 2022 murder officially began inside a Bexar County courtroom on Wednesday.
Jurors heard opening arguments in the Malik Pryor case. Pryor is accused of strangling his neighbor, 39-year-old Jarrod Papen, to death with an electrical cord.
Authorities said Papen was found dead on May 14, 2022, in Pryor’s apartment located in the 1200 block of Agora Palms Drive.
Previous affidavits indicated that the two neighbors had ongoing disputes and several heated arguments before Papen’s death.
“By the end of this trial, you will know beyond a reasonable doubt that this defendant murdered Jarrod Papen and left a spiderweb of trauma and pain for that family and this community,” Bexar County prosecutor Nicholas Mahro told the court on Wednesday.
During a January court appearance, defense attorney Lorraine Efron requested a new mental health evaluation for Pryor.
Efron argued that Pryor’s mental capacity may have been affected by multiple concussions sustained while playing high school football.
According to records, Pryor returned to court in May when a judge determined him competent to stand trial.
If convicted, Pryor faces between five and 99 years in prison.
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