Opening arguments in the Desmonte Leonard murder trial were held on Friday, Sept. 26 and lasted about 45 minutes.
Leonard is charged with the capital murder of former Auburn football Players Ladarious Phillips, Ed Christian and DeMario Pitts of Opelika.
Assistant District Attorney Kisha Abercrombie told jurors the prosecution would prove that Leonard was guilty of capital murder after firing a .40 caliber handgun, at least nine times, at the University Heights apartment complex in June 2012.
"After the shooting, Desmonte Leonard and his two friends fled the scene," Abercrombie said. "They threw the pistol out of their car on College Street near the Supper Club."
Abercrombie said DeAngelo Benton and Leonard got into a verbal altercation at the party. Benton's friends, including Pitts, took Benton outside to calm him down, and Leonard followed Benton outside to fight him.
Defense attorney Jeff Duffey told jurors that Leonard was acting in self-defense under the Alabama stand your ground law.
Benton was upset because Leonard was at the party, and after Benton was taken outside, Leonard and his friends tried to leave and were assaulted, according to Duffey.
"Mr. Leonard pulled his pistol out because he thought he was going to die," Duffey said.
Duffey said Leonard and his friends were forced to the ground and being hit with bottles.
"There's no duty to retreat in the Stand Your Ground Law, but even if there was, Mr. Leonard could not retreat," Duffey said.
Duffey also told jurors alcohol might cloud witnesses memory of what happened at the party.
"There was a lot of alcohol, you're going to hear from a lot of people who were drinking and you'll have to decide what to believe," Duffey said.
After opening arguments the first witness, Sgt. Darrell Downing with the Auburn Police Division, took the stand.
Downing testified he was the first officer on the scene.
When Downing arrived he described, "multiple people running everywhere--mass chaos."
Downing said he was directed to a room inside the clubhouse where John Robertson was lying unconscious with a gunshot wound to the head.
"(Robertson) was lying there on the tile floor in a pool of blood," Downing said.
Robertson survived his gunshot wound, along with Eric Mack and Xavier Moss were also injured.
The prosecution also called a witness, Demarco Phillips, who attended the party.
Phillips said an argument broke out between Benton and an unidentified group.
"Somebody in the group said, 'I'm going to shoot this b**** up,'" Phillips said.
When things had calmed down, two burst of gun fire erupted spaced a few minutes apart, according to Phillips.
"Ed [Christian] was slumped over--he was already dead," Phillips said.
The trial will resume Monday, Sept. 29, at 9 a.m.
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