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Jury hears opening in Statev. Edgar Hernandez Aguilar on allegation he used truck as deadly weapon
Summary
A Bexar County jury heard opening statements and saw a 911 recording and a bystander video on the first day of the trial accusing Edgar Hernandez Aguilar of using a pickup truck to strike a sport-utility vehicle during a March 2023 highway incident.
A jury trial opened in the 187th District Court on the case against Edgar Hernandez Aguilar, who is charged in a March 2023 indictment with multiple counts alleging he "did use and exhibit a deadly weapon, namely a motor vehicle" by driving into vehicles occupied by three complainants.
The prosecution told jurors the case will show a prolonged incident on Loop 410 in which a driver and his passengers were pursued and sideswiped, then struck several times. In opening remarks, the prosecutor said jurors would hear a 911 call and view a phone video taken by a bystander. The defense said jurors should focus on the speed and manner of impact and on whether the state can prove the statutory elements of the charged offenses beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court admitted two state exhibits during the morning testimony: a 911 audio recording and a phone video that the state said was taken by a witness, Vanessa Hernandez. Hernandez testified for the state and identified herself on the 911 recording and as the person who provided the video. On the recording Hernandez tells the 911 dispatcher, "He's trying to ram into the expedition," and she described seeing a brown Dodge Ram repeatedly strike a black Ford Expedition on the shoulder of the highway.
Prosecutors described a roughly 17-mile pursuit from Talley Road toward Callahan and 410 and said officers later located the Expedition with a shattered rear windshield at a nearby gas station. The defense acknowledged the events were "a nightmare" but urged jurors to weigh speed and intent, arguing the impacts were low-speed contacts and disputing that the evidence meets the indictment's charged conduct.
Judge Stephanie Boyd reminded jurors about the presence of an interpreter for the defendant and instructed them to accept the interpreter's translation as the official evidence. The trial recessed for a midday break with plans to resume later; further witness testimony and recorded evidence remained scheduled for the afternoon session.
The case: The indictment alleges Aguilar intentionally and knowingly threatened imminent bodily injury to three named complainants by driving his vehicle into theirs. The court record shows the state presented video and 911 audio and called at least one live witness during the first day.
What happens next: Trial proceedings will continue with additional witness testimony and evidence presentation. The court will reconvene the jury and proceed with the state's case in the 187th District Court.
