BILLINGS – After two hours of deliberation, 12 jurors found Diego Hernandez guilty of the deliberate homicide of Laurel woman Lori Bray on Monday.
The 24-year-old is being held responsible for the fatal strangulation of Bray, after her body was discovered at the bottom of a hill near Laurel.
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Hernandez has yet to admit to the crime, but the prosecution argues all evidence points to him.
After Bray closed the Cedar Ridge Casino in Laurel on Oct. 1, 2019, security footage shows Hernandez getting into the passenger seat of her car.
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Allegedly, Bray offered to give Hernandez a ride home that night: an act of kindness, the prosecution said, that would ultimately lead to her death.
The next day, Bray’s car was found abandoned on Buffalo Trail Road. Bray’s blood stained clothes, cell phone, empty wallet and a box of Marlboro cigarettes – the same brand Hernandez was carrying the night before Bray’s death – were allegedly found inside.
During the final day of the trial, Deputy Yellowstone County Attorney Ed Zink questioned Hernandez’s actions, asking why it took him so long to leave the casino in the early morning hours on Oct. 1. On security footage, Bray is seen showing Hernandez the clock, signaling the casino is closing and it’s time for him to go.
“Why is he still sitting there? Almost half an hour after he’s been kicked out. Why is he still there?” Zink asked.
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Over the course of the trial, the prosecution brought cell phone data, photos of scratches on Hernandez’s face and hands, a wad of cash found in his room and his recently washed and bleached clothes in as evidence.
Most notably, a swab of a blood stain in the center of the back seat of Bray’s car and DNA found under Bray’s fingernail clippings matching Hernandez’s DNA, were also brought in as evidence.
According to expert witness Joe Pasternak from the Montana State Crime Lab, the swab from the blood stain is about a one in one trillion match in Hispanic people. The DNA from Bray’s fingernails? A one in 60.1 octillion match of Hispanic people – a number with 27 zeros after it.
In the defense’s closing argument, Joel Thompson pointed out there is no way to find out how the blood got there and why. He also said the vehicle was unlocked and could have been disturbed prior to law enforcement’s search. But that wasn’t enough to give the jury reasonable doubt.
In the court room Monday, it was clear Bray was loved by many members of the Laurel community. It is reported the gallery was filled with supporters of Bray, and most of them nodded and embraced once Hernandez was found guilty.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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