SAN DIEGO — A prosecutor cross-examined Jesse Alvarez on the witness stand Thursday. He’s the defendant accused of murdering a Cathedral Catholic High School teacher in a fit of jealousy in 2021.
Alvarez, 33, testified he shot teacher Mario Fierro in self-defense, during an altercation where the men struggled over a gun Alvarez was carrying. “He rushed at me, and I was completely taken aback. He started trying to punch me,” Alvarez told the jury.
Alvarez said he just wanted to talk to his ex-girlfriend’s fiancé on the morning he showed up at his home in North Park, and that he routinely carried a gun in urban areas.
“He tried to seize the firearm from my hand, and we were wrestling over it. And he started to point it towards my direction. And then he got his fingers around the trigger, and he pulled it,” Alvarez testified.
Fierro was a coach and teacher at Cathedral Catholic High School. Weeks before the shooting, Fierro had had announced on the school’s Facebook page his engagement to the defendant's ex-girlfriend, Amy Gembara.
Prosecutors allege Alvarez was the aggressor, lying in wait for the victim and shooting him six times.
Deputy District Attorney Ramona McCarthy played an audio recording of the gunshots in open court, asking Alvarez, “That was you, right? Mr. Alvarez, that was you pulling the trigger, correct?”
“That was me screaming and him pulling the trigger on the first shot, yes,” responded Alvarez.
The prosecutor then asked the defendant if he was the gunman who killed Fierro by putting six bullets in his body, including two in his forehead, two in the back of his head, and a shot to the back. The defendant responded, “Yes.”
“Now, you even researched how to get away with killing someone, including looking at California self-defense laws. Right?” asked McCarthy, referring to Google searches found on Alvarez's computer.
“Right,” Alvarez responded.
“Now, Mr. Alvarez, remind us what defense are you going with in this case?” asked McCarthy.
“Of course, self-defense,” he responded.
Closing arguments are set for Friday. The case should go to the jury by the end of the day.
Alvarez faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted of murder, with a special circumstance of lying in wait.
WATCH RELATED: Defendant accused of murdering Cathedral Catholic teacher testifies