The former neighbor of Tucson double-murder suspect Gary Dwayne Skaggs testified Friday that Skaggs "was always cussing" about one of the victims and swore the victim was going to "get it."
Friday was the third day in Skaggs' trial on two counts of first-degree murder in the August 1995 deaths of Antonio Rodriguez and Danielle Wessels.
Skaggs, 45, is accused of using a machete to kill the pair, both 18, because he was upset that Rodriguez had an affair with his girlfriend, Jerrie Lane.
Although a suspect from the beginning, Skaggs wasn't indicted until June 2006.
According to court documents, Skaggs, Lane and the victims knew each other because they once lived in the same Midtown apartment complex.
On Friday, Pima County Deputy County Attorney William McCollum played for the jury the videotaped deposition of Agness Noriega, who also lived in the apartment complex.
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Noriega, a Seattle resident who is suffering from ovarian cancer, testified she lived next-door to Skaggs' brother, Rick, at the time of the slayings.
Just a couple weeks before the slayings, Noriega said she overheard Gary Skaggs tell his brother he was upset with Rod-riguez for having an affair with Lane.
Gary Skaggs said Rodriguez was going to "pay for" sleeping with Lane and he was going to "get it," Noriega said.
Also testifying Friday was another former neighbor of the Skaggses and the victim.
Kristen McDilda, who often baby-sat Rick Skaggs' four daughters, said on the day the bodies were discovered she noticed a large machete was missing from above Rick Skaggs' couch.
Under cross-examination from defense attorney Michael Lange, McDilda acknowledged that in 1995 she regularly used cocaine, heroin and marijuana. She also acknowledged that at different times she's given different dates for when she noticed the missing machete.
Authorities found a machete hidden behind a dresser in Gary Skaggs' bedroom three days after the slaying.
Although no DNA could be found on the machete, court documents indicate a medical examiner will testify that the injuries found on the victims are consistent with those caused by a machete.
Rodriguez was found on the floor of the living room, Wessels was found on a nearby couch, and their 6-month-old daughter was found unharmed in the same room.
An investigation showed the victims died of blunt-force trauma with multiple lacerations and they were probably attacked while sleeping.
The trial is expected to continue Tuesday in Superior Court Judge John Leonardo's courtroom.
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