The Murder of Daniel Mendoza - The Trial
By the spring of 1997, the murder of Daniel Mendoza had moved from McKellar Circle into the courtroom, City Hall, and the conscience of Las Vegas.
In Episode 131, Part 3 of our series, public pressure builds as community leaders start to ask.... who’s policing the police?
The case has shifted.. and now it's really more about whether two off-duty Metro officers would be treated the way anyone else would have been treated after a deadly drive-by shooting.
One of the most powerful moments in this episode comes from Daniel’s father, Ramon. Just before trial, he invited several Metro officers into his home for his birthday. They shared food. He showed them photos of Daniel in his Little League uniform. He talked about Daniel’s jobs, his plans to get married, and the future that was taken from him.
Ramon was not asking anyone to pretend Daniel was perfect. He was asking them to see that Daniel was human.
During the trial, prosecutors tried to redirect the blame from Mortenson back onto Chris Brady. Tehy talked about his proximity to the passenger window, the eyewitnesses, the gun, and the physical evidence.
What about his family history with Metro? What about the fact that he didn't report the crime right away? Why would he alter the truck?
Importantly.. is this the system working? Are they following the evidence, or had they already chosen the only officer it was willing to prosecute?
Listen to Episode 131, Part 3: The Murder of Daniel Mendoza now at sinspod.co/131
Co-Host
Your co-host John comes to you with 25 years of technology consulting experience and a strong interest in True Crime. John will host the Tech Corner episodes that punctuate Sins & Survivors. In those episodes, his focus will be educating people on the pitfalls of privacy in the digital age, and endeavor to make everyone a bit safer. Topics like cyberstalking, online safety, removal of information from online directories, and new privacy features on mobile devices are just a few topics we'll cover. Email him your questions at Tech@SinsandSurvivors.com
The Murder of Daniel Mendoza - He said, He said
