Opening statements and witness testimony begin in State v. Robert Castillo over downtown San Antonio crash

The trial of Robert Castillo on charges tied to a March 25, 2023, downtown San Antonio crash opened with prosecutors telling jurors they will present video, photos and witness testimony they say will prove Castillo struck and killed a pedestrian, Eric Michael Moody, and then left the scene.

In an opening statement, N. Galloway, prosecutor for the state, said jurors would see evidence that the white vehicle hit Moody at the corner of Alamo and Proband and that the driver “booked it out of there.” Galloway told jurors the state would prove both counts — a reckless-act count charging conduct that resulted in death and a count alleging leaving the scene and failing to render aid — beyond a reasonable doubt.

The prosecution called a San Antonio Police Department sergeant as its first witness. The sergeant testified he arrived at the intersection around 1:30 a.m. and found a white Tesla crashed into a brick storefront known locally as Blue Star. “I could see a body laying out in the grass just outside the vehicle on the passenger side,” the officer testified, describing blood on the victim’s face and the passenger area of the car. The officer said firefighters were on scene attending to the scene and that officers secured the intersection with flares and tape and requested CSI and traffic investigators to preserve evidence.

The officer identified and described a body-worn camera recording that was entered into evidence and played for the jury. On that recording, the witness described checking the vehicle for occupants, photographing the scene and recording the vehicle’s license information for the investigative record.

On cross-examination defense counsel pressed the witness on what emergency responders found and whether first responders had moved or closed the passenger door before the officer’s arrival; the witness said he did not know what firefighters had done prior to his arrival and that he did not personally collect physical evidence beyond documenting the scene and maintaining scene integrity for follow-up units.

The state next called a San Antonio Fire Department engineer and paramedic, Roy (transcript shows variant spellings of his surname). He testified that his crew found an unresponsive male with extensive head and facial trauma, applied monitoring equipment, intubated the patient and performed advanced life-saving measures, but that the patient had no pulse and was later pronounced deceased. The paramedic said the crew later recorded the patient’s name in their report as Eric Moody.

The indictment read into the record earlier alleges that the defendant’s actions on March 25 resulted in Moody’s death and that the defendant thereafter failed to stop, provide identifying information or render reasonable assistance. The court found the state in compliance with discovery and admitted at least two state exhibits — including the body-worn camera video and a map image of the crash location — without objection.

The testimony presented so far has focused on scene preservation, the victim’s injuries and the emergency response. The defense questioned aspects of what first responders observed and what evidence was collected on-scene. The trial will continue with additional witnesses and evidence the state says will support its theory; the proceedings are ongoing before Judge Stephanie Boyd of the 187th District Court.