Jacob Valenzuela spent his 20th birthday Friday being grilled intensively by defense attorney Bobbi Berry about his role in a fatal home invasion.
Friday was the third day in the first-degree-murder trial of Berry's client, Julian Adrian Wyatt, in Pima County Superior Court.
Wyatt is accused of participating in a January 2006 home invasion that resulted in the death of Rafael Cuen-Molina, a married father of three.
Valenzuela pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the case last month and agreed to testify against Wyatt, meaning instead of a potential life sentence, he could now receive from three years in prison to 12.
Valenzuela told jurors he and his brother, Adrian, first met Wyatt several years ago in school. They drifted apart for awhile but became reacquainted in December 2005.
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At the time of the slaying, Wyatt was spending two or three nights at the Valenzuela home. On the evening of Jan. 2, 2006, Adrian came up with the idea that Wyatt and Jacob should rob a house, using Adrian's newly acquired assault rifle, Jacob Valenzuela said.
His brother gave Wyatt the rifle after the pair got into a pickup truck owned by the Valenzuelas' mother, Valenzuela said.
It was Wyatt who told him where to drive and pointed out the house they were going to rob, Valenzuela told Deputy Pima County Attorney Lewis Brandes.
Once they got to the Southwest Side home, Valenzuela said he knocked over a chain-link fence and jumped out of the truck wearing a Grim Reaper mask and a ski mask. Wyatt was also wearing a ski mask, he said.
When Wyatt couldn't crash through a trailer door with his shoulder, Valenzuela said Wyatt shot the door.
After they started getting shot at, Valenzuela said Wyatt fired several rounds, and they heard the thud of a body falling. They fled the area, dropped off the gun at a friend's house and went home, Valenzuela said.
Valenzuela said he agreed to rob the house because he wanted to impress his brother, who is a member of the Southside Posse Bloods gang.
"I wanted to show him I wasn't scared," Valenzuela said. "I kinda looked up to him."
Under cross-examination, Valenzuela acknowledged he has an aunt who lives down the street from Cuen-Molina's house, which is near West Valencia Road and South Camino de Oeste.
He also said the gun was stashed at one of his friend's houses, not one of Wyatt's friend's houses.
Moreover, Valenzuela also acknowledged he told police once his brother obtained the assault rifle, he never went anywhere without it.
Valenzuela was also queried about a pair of white tennis shoes found by police at his house after the slaying.
He insisted Wyatt wore those shoes to the home invasion, but then Berry had Wyatt take off his shoes in front of the jury and held them up to the tennis shoes.
It was clear the tennis shoes were several sizes smaller.
During her opening arguments, Berry told jurors her client is innocent.
She said Adrian Valenzuela planned the home invasion, and may have participated in it along with his brother.
Jurors don't know it, but Adrian Valenzuela, 21, is awaiting trial in an unrelated fatal home invasion.
According to prosecutors, Thomas Michael Hernandez, Andy Gonzales and Adrian Valenzuela took part in five home invasions within three hours on June 26, 2006.
Hernandez was convicted in a trial, and Gonzales has pleaded guilty.
