Prosecutors call on NASA to help build case against man charged in SAPD detective’s shooting death

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s notice: KSAT is livestreaming your entire trial of Otis McKane here. Get a every day recap like this one despatched to your inbox by signing up for the free Open Court newsletter.

A picture analyst for NASA testified Tuesday how the identical imagery expertise and methods used to research the House Shuttle Columbia explosion in 2003 was utilized to look into the execution-style capturing dying of a San Antonio police detective.

David Bretz, who has been with NASA for 25 years, testified for the prosecution in Day 7 of the Otis McKane capital homicide trial by presenting a Energy Level presentation of his imagery findings.

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Bretz advised the jury how he was requested by the Bexar County District Lawyer’s Workplace to reinforce and analyze photos that tied McKane to the slaying of SAPD Det. Benjamin Marconi in entrance of Public Security Headquarters on Nov. 20, 2016.

“They wished enhancements of his (McKane’s) facial options,” Bretz testified.

Bretz stated he was capable of sharpen, enlarge and clear up photos that confirmed McKane coming into Public Security Headquarters, his automotive outdoors the constructing at two occasions that morning. He additionally confirmed the jury a picture that the knowledgeable witness claimed was the defendant holding a pistol behind the detective’s head. Whereas the enhancement of that picture confirmed one thing much like a tattoo, Brentz couldn’t say for certain that it matched a tattoo pictured in considered one of McKane’s images taken when he was arrested.

“There seems to be one thing there. It’s simply unclear what that’s,” he stated.

Prosecutors additionally known as two members of the SAPD CSI crew to the witness stand.

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Officer Mark Machado testified about pictures he took of McKane’s automotive, together with the tire rims the prosecution stated the defendant purchased at Lease-A-Tire. Not less than three staff of the automotive tire enterprise have testified they known as police after they noticed footage of McKane on TV newscasts whereas he was being sought.

One other CSI Officer, Scott Coonradt, testified about proof he gathered from a lodge room the place McKane’s spouse, a toddler and a person stayed. Surveillance video from a Econo Lodge Lodge on Interstate 35 was used Monday by prosecutors in an effort to point out the doable whereabouts of McKane hours after the capturing dying of Marconi.

McKane might face the dying penalty if he’s discovered responsible.

The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday. You’ll be able to watch every moment live on KSAT in this article.

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