SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) - The trial of a Massachusetts man charged with killing a National Guard soldier from Connecticut eight years ago just before he deployed to Iraq has started.
The Republican newspaper (https://bit.ly/2o2yxAR ) reports that the prosecution and defense made opening statements Tuesday in the murder trial of Michael Rodriguez.
Authorities say the Holyoke man shot 25-year-old Julian Cartie, a former high school football star in New Britain, Connecticut, in Springfield in February 2009.
The prosecutor in openings said Cartie, his brother and a friend were headed to a chicken restaurant after a night out just before Cartie was sent overseas when he got into a confrontation with Rodriguez.
A defense attorney said Cartie was drunk and aggressive as he approached Rodriguez and the shooting was self-defense.
Rodriguez was not arrested until in 2014.
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Information from: The Springfield (Mass.) Republican, https://www.masslive.com/news/
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