An Orange County jury has begun deliberating whether Bessman Okafor is guilty of murder for the shooting death of Alex Zaldivar hours before the 19-year-old was scheduled to testify against Okafor in court nearly three years ago.

The jury deliberated until about 8 p.m. They will continue Wednesday at 9 a.m.

The jury will be sequestered for as long as it takes to reach a verdict. The judge advised jurors Monday to prepare to stay the night, if necessary.

Jurors must determine guilt on four charges:

  • First-degree murder for the death of Alex Zaldivar
  • Attempted murder of Brienna Campos
  • Attempted murder of Remington Campos
  • Armed robbery

"This guy needs to be convicted, he needs to be executed and that’s the bottom line," said Rafael Zaldivar, Alex's father.

Okafor chose not to testify in his own defense. He could face the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.

Alex Zaldivar's birthday is Wednesday.

"He would have been 22-years old. And to have him convicted tomorrow, I mean that’s truly unbelievable," Rafael said.

Closing arguments Tuesday from the state and defense both focused on evidence in the case. The state began going through all of the evidence, including cellphone records and an ankle-monitoring device Okafor was ordered to wear while on home confinement the night Zaldivar died.

Prosecutors also recalled key testimony which they said placed Okafor at the crime scene: The defendant's then-girlfriend admitted on the stand that she acted as a lookout the night of the murder and drove Okafor from the scene.

"It's not just one single piece of evidence that proves beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Okafor murdered Alex Zaldivar and tried to kill two other people; it's that all of those pieces fit together seamlessly," Assistant State Attorney Ryan Williams said Tuesday.

During the defense's opening statements, given Tuesday after deferring to give them after the state rested, attorney Dean Mosley asserted none of the victims were able to clearly identify Okafor as the shooter.

"Evidence is going to show that at no point in this case did anybody place to Okafor in the house, or Mr. Okafor shot anyone at all," Mosley told the jury.

Okafor is already serving five concurrent life sentences for the home invasion case in which Zaldivar was set to testify before he was killed.


Bessman Okafor's parents in court Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015.