Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Day Six of Testimony: Investigator Serrano

The jury is coming into the courtroom for day six of testimony. The judge points out that the defendant isn't in here and that court personnel need to bring him in first. The judge jokes that his presence is 'kind of necessary'. Defendant Wesley Molina Cirino is now in the courtroom. The jury is filing into their seats as the defendant, prosecution and the defense stand. The judge greets the jury and directs the prosecution to call their next witness, Investigator Samuel Serrano.

Investigator Serrano has been with the State Police since 1993. He is Puerto Rican and speaks Spanish fluently. He says he speaks the Puerto Rican dialect fluently and that he speaks it every day. Investigator Serrano uses the language when dealing undercover with Spanish-speaking drug dealors and has also served as an interpreter in many different scenarios in and out of court.

The day they were "burying Tommy", Serrano says he became involved in the case of the murder of Utica Police Officer Tom Lindsey.

In May of 2007, Serrano went to the Onondaga County Jail to interview Wesley Molina Cirino about the whereabouts of the gun used in the Officer Lindsey homicide. Serrano entered an interview room at the Onondaga County D.A.'s office. Several police officers were there. It was the continuation of an interview that had started earlier in the day. It was videotaped. Serrano was there as a Spanish investigator and to assist in interpreting.

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