Day Four: Jose Cirino is in the Courtroom

Jose Cirino makes his way to the witness stand. There was an audible buzz in the courtroom when the prosecution announced him as the next witness, as a prior witness--a Syracuse jail inmate--said that defendant Wesley Molina Cirino told him in the jail that his 18-year-old cousin, Jose Cirino, had killed Officer Lindsey. A Spanish translator is with Cirino at the witness stand. Cirino says he lives in Puerto Rico with his parents. Cirino says his street name is Mahone. Cirino came to the Utica after visiting family in Rhode Island. He came to Utica to visit his uncle, Francisco Cirino. He was asked to leave his uncle's house following an argument/misunderstanding with him. He went to stay with a cousin, Mario Cirino.

Cirino acknowledges knowing defendant Wesley Molina Cirino. He says they're distantly related and knows him as, "Flaco". He didn't know "Flaco" was in the U.S. until he arrived in the states. He began to hang around with "Flaco". He says he met Sammy Rivera at his uncle's house and became friends with him. He stayed at Sammy's house for a while. He saw "Flaco" while staying at Rivera's house but doesn't remember if he ever stayed the night. Cirino decided to leave the U.S. around April of 2007 because he had no where else to stay. He had no money ; never finished high school.