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Witness testifies against roommate in murder trial
Gloria Gomez reports
TAMPA, Fla. - The Tampa murder trial against the man accused of killing his stepfather continued Wednesday, and the star witness for prosecutors took the stand.
Andy Flores Tello, 23, was charged with the murder of his stepfather, Carlos Alfredo Sub-Choc. Flores Tello is accused of stabbing him to death three years ago during a confrontation about claims that Alfredo Sub-Choc was cheating on his wife, which was the defendant's mother.
Pictured: Carlos Alfredo Sub-Choc.
Prosecutors said the encounter happened at a boarding house Flores Tello was living at on West St. John Street in Tampa back in October 2020. Elu Sacrabi, Flores Tello's roommate at the time, told the jury Wednesday that he was at the house when the defendant stabbed Alfredo Sub-Choc to death.
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Sacrabi, through a Spanish interpreter, explained that on the night of the confrontation, he heard the two arguing. When the fight turned physical, that's when prosecutors said Flores Tello grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed his stepfather to death.
"I saw Andy [Flores Tello] stab him a couple of times," said Sacrabi through the Spanish interpreter in court.
But, defense attorney Bryant Camareno, who is representing Flores Tello, tried to cast suspicion on the witness. He pointed out that the witness had cuts on his hands that were in bandages when police arrived at the scene of the crime.
Sacrabi explained that he works in lawn care and the cuts came from using a chainsaw.
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Camareno also asked him about a blood-stained knife in his bedroom that appeared to match some of the victim's stab wounds. The witness explained that he bought the knife a month before the fatal stabbing and rarely used it or cleaned it.
Pictured: Andy Flores Tello in a Tampa courtroom.
However, Sacrabi insisted he saw Flores Tello stab his stepfather twice, but couldn’t explain the third stab wound to the back of Alfredo Sub-Choc’s neck.
"Your testimony is that Andy [Flores Tello] only stabbed him twice," questioned Camareno.
"Yes, only twice" Sacrabi replied.
The trial against Flores Tello is expected to continue Thursday. Closing arguments in the case could come as early as tomorrow.