The state continued to call witnesses to the stand to testify Thursday afternoon in the double murder trial of Kemar Johnston.
Johnston, 23, was one of 10 people charged in connection to the deaths of Alexis Sosa, 18, and his nephew, 14-year-old Jeffrey Sosa.
The Sosas were reportedly hog-tied, beaten and tortured in October 2006 during a birthday party at a Cape Coral duplex, then driven to an industrial park in the north Cape where they were fatally shot and Alexis’ body was burned in the trunk of a car. Fire units responding to a call of a fire at the industrial park discovered the burning car and bodies.
Johnston faces two counts each of first-degree murder, kidnapping and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. If convicted, he faces life in prison without parole or death.
Following lunch today, the state called its third witness of the day, Cody Roux, a co-defendant in the case who pleaded out to a lesser sentence of 14 years in prison on two counts each of kidnapping and aggravated battery in exchange for his testimony. Originally, Roux was also charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Roux testified Thursday that he was the one who initiated the fight in the kitchen with Alexis. He was under the impression the Sosas were there to crash the party and, being a good friend with Johnston, Roux did not want that to occur. He added that when the Sosas first showed up, the party-goers started “screaming and yelling” at them.
“Just that, I thought that he was trying to wreck the birthday party,” he said of Alexis. “It was just a quick little fight.”
After the one-on-one fight, one of the people in the kitchen pulled out plates and dishes and started hitting Alexis with them. Another person took a swing at Alexis, then that is when everyone jumped in and began beating up Alexis, Roux told the jury. One person tried to attack Jeffrey, but knowing the Sosas from when he once lived in their home, Roux told the attacker and everyone else to leave Jeffrey alone.
“He had nothing to do with it,” Roux said of Jeffrey, adding that he next left the kitchen.
Two others who attended the party, Andrew Touchstone and Jennifer Dunning, testified earlier in the day about what they saw, heard and could recall from the night of the party. Dunning broke down into tears while describing for the jury what she saw happen to the Sosas.
Testimony continues today at the Lee County Justice Center before 20th Judicial Circuit Judge Thomas S. Reese. Assistant State Attorneys Bob Lee and Marie Doerr are prosecuting the case, and attorneys David A. Brener and Terry Lenamon are defending Johnston in his trial.