SAN ANTONIO — The trial of Otis McKane continued into a third day Wednesday. McKane is facing capital murder charges in the death of SAPD detective Benjamin Marconi, who was ambushed and shot in 2016 while conducting a traffic stop downtown.
Testimony Wednesday began with a VIA bus driver who saw McKane shortly after the shooting. He was reportedly presented with a photo lineup of suspects and identified McKane.
In court Tuesday, the jury heard chilling testimony from Ricky Martinez, who had been pulled over by Marconi minutes before the murder, and he took the stand to describe what he saw.
On November 20, 2016, Detective Marconi had pulled over Martinez in front of San Antonio Police Department headquarters for a traffic violation. Investigators said when Marconi got back inside his police unit to write a traffic citation, McKane came from behind the car and shot Marconi twice in the head.
Martinez was in the car with his pregnant girlfriend and two children at the time of the murder. He told his family to stay down when he heard shots and eventually he left his car. He went to Marconi's cruiser, where he found his body.
Eventually, he left his car and went to Marconi's cruiser, where he found Marconi had been shot.
One witness, Alexander Limon, said he never expected to see such chaos in downtown San Antonio five years ago.
“I saw a lot of blood,” Limon said.
Limon took the stand on day three of the Otis McKane murder trial to share his account of what happened on Nov. 20, 2016.
Limon noted he had just left the La Quinta hotel across the street from San Antonio police headquarters.
Heading southbound on Santa Rosa, he saw a black sedan make a U-turn and stop behind Detective Benjamin Marconi’s patrol unit, who was making a traffic stop.
“I saw the black car stop in back of the cop car and I tell my wife, I think something’s going on because it was too fast, and somebody got out of the car real quick,” Limon said.
Limon stressed he never heard gunshots, but he saw McKane briskly making his way back to the car.
“I know he did something but whenever I saw him, he went like that, he kept going back to the car,” Limon said.
Prosecutors say it was McKane trying to conceal the handgun used to shoot Marconi.
Limon proceeded to follow McKane until he hit the highway.
What sticks with Limon to this day is seeing the community coming together as officers and civilians try assisting Marconi.
“When I passed by the cop, I saw the window, and everything was broken. He was in the car trying to help him to out to bring him out – the police officer – so I went to try to help them and after that I just a lot of people and a lot of cops,” Limon said.
On Monday, the state detailed the efforts to save Marconi – from where the shooting happened in front of SAPD's headquarters to in the ambulance and at the hospital.
The prosecution said McKane was livid over a child custody issue and felt the need to "soothe his soul" and the shooting was about lashing out at somebody.
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales has said he plans to pursue the death penalty in this case. McKane faces life in prison or death by lethal injection if convicted.