Defense goes
after credibility of prosecution witness in Araujo case

Sitting in a courtroom and listening to the details of a brutal death spelled out for a second time is hard. But the family of transgender teenager Gwen Araujo say they'll keep coming. "We're hoping that we have justice in the end," said David Guerrero, Araujo's uncle. Guerrero was among a number of family members in attendance Wednesday as the second trial of the three men accused of killing Araujo began with opening statements. According to prosecutors, Araujo, 17, was beaten and strangled in a slow, methodical act of savagery after the men she thought were her friends discovered her biological identity. Prosecutor Chris Lamiero laid out the killing Wednesday as a calculated act of revenge--a summary judgment, a sentence of death, and a punishment carried out "with zeal." Araujo was hit with a can of food, with a skillet, he said. She was punched, kicked, and choked. She was tied up. She was strangled. But a defense attorney for one of the accused men said that wasn't the case, at least for his client, denouncing the man who provided many of the details about the killing as a corrupt liar. Attorney Tony Serra said the witness, Jaron Nabors, has lied to the police, to his friends, and to his girlfriend and cannot be trusted. "He's almost telling us, 'Don't believe a word I say."' Serra is representing Jason Cazares, 25. Also charged are Michael Magidson and Jose Merel, also 25. Their attorneys were expected to make opening statements Thursday. Prosecutors say Araujo, who was born Edward but grew up believing her true identity was as a woman, was killed after her biological gender was revealed in a stormy confrontation at Merel's house in Newark, a San Francisco suburb. Nabors, 22, was there for the showdown and initially was charged with murder but later cut a deal to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for testifying. He led police to Araujo's body, buried near Lake Tahoe. Nabors took the stand last year and described the killing in detail, but that trial ended in deadlock. He is expected to again deliver key testimony, and Serra told jurors Nabors is not believable. The attorney said Cazares had gone outside when the killing took place and helped to bury the body only out of loyalty to his friends. Serra charged that Nabors falsely implicated Cazares in the attack to try to win a better deal. "Nabors will never be a witness that anyone can rely on in such a serious matter," Serra said. "Can a tiger change or erase his stripes? Can a leopard change or erase its spots?" Earlier, Lamiero told jurors he would not be trying to portray Nabors as "a good guy," but he noted that if prosecutors don't believe Nabors is telling the truth on the stand, the deal falls apart. For Araujo's family, listening to the details means reliving the worst time of their lives. "No mother should ever have to hear what this mother heard today," family attorney Gloria Allred said outside the courtroom. No matter how the trial turns out, Araujo's mother, Sylvia Guerrero, said she's not expecting to find that elusive concept known as closure. "Not for me," she said. "She was way too young. I miss her dearly every day." Guerrero, who has become an advocate for transgender people and who had Araujo's name legally changed to Gwen posthumously, said she's tried to "move on and deal with life." "But closure?" she said. "It's unacceptable what happened." (AP)