PHOENIX — The murder trial for suspect Alfredo Gutierrez began on Monday nearly four years after he allegedly murdered Lee Rice in Phoenix. Rice's body was found with blunt force injuries to his head and zip ties around his neck, wrists and ankles.
His body was stuffed into a blue barrel and police found the barrel inside of a room where Gutierrez had been staying.
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Rice was murdered in October of 2020 and his murder is not disputed by the prosecution and defense. However, each side paints a very different picture of what happened.
The prosecution alleges Gutierrez is responsible. They claim Gutierrez was upset that Rice had entered his room in the Phoenix home owned by Gutierrez's brother near 26th Street and Bell Road. The state says a mutual friend, referred to in court as Chuy, witnessed the aftermath and reported the murder to Phoenix PD.
The defense alleges it was Chuy who killed Rice. They say he had been arguing with Rice earlier that day and Gutierrez came home to the crime scene. Defense attorneys claim Gutierrez helped Chuy clean up the aftermath and cover up the crime because he was afraid of Chuy and felt like he had no other choice.
More than 100 crime scene photos shown in court
During day one of the jury trial, the state called two Phoenix PD homicide detectives to the stand. They showed body camera footage of Gutierrez's initial interaction with police outside of the home. Police did not have a search warrant at the time so they asked Gutierrez if they could enter the home to see if there was any sign of Rice. Gutierrez said no and then referred police to his brother who also declined.
Officers returned with a search warrant and found blood smeared and splattered in nearly every room.
Crime scene photos shown in court show blood on furniture and walls. It's also seen on clothing items like pants, shirts and gloves that were discovered in a trash can. Police also found receipts for cleaning supplies and zip ties similar to those found on Rice's body throughout the house and in Gutierrez's truck.
Photos of Gutierrez's room were also shown in court.
Defense alleges key witness killed victim
During opening statements, Gutierrez's attorneys said Phoenix PD's investigation was flawed.
They said police failed to obtain surveillance footage from the day of Rice's death showing Gutierrez take him to a gas station.
They also say Chuy's story is filled with falsehoods and cannot be trusted. They asked the jury to find Gutierrez not guilty at the end of the trial.
The defense will have an opportunity to call its own witnesses as the trial continues.
This is the third time Gutierrez has faced charges in connection to Rice's murder.
Gutierrez was arrested in October of 2020. But right before his trial was set to begin, Chuy, the key witness was deported.
When the Maricopa County Attorney's Office tried to bring murder charges a second time last year, they could not track down Chuy.
In both attempts, the county attorney's office dismissed the case without prejudice, meaning they could re-file charges. They did just that in February of this year after Gutierrez was arrested at the Douglas Port of Entry.
This time, Chuy has been located and is expected to testify in the trial next week.
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