SAN ANTONIO – Forensic evidence revealed that a man on trial for murder had no gunshot residue on his hands.
Gaien Perez is charged with the murder of his mother’s boyfriend, Luis Rosales.
Rosales was shot four times down the road from where Perez and his mother lived.
A forensic scientist told the jury Thursday that a gunshot residue test was performed on Perez and his mother, Monica Vasquez.
Gunshot residue is the particles expelled from a gun as its discharged.
While Perez had none on his hands, his mother did, according to forensic scientist Leslie Tschoepe.
“Monica Vasquez may have discharged a firearm, handled a discharged firearm or was in close proximity to a discharging firearm,” Tschoepe said.
Tschoepe further explained that it was possible when Vasquez provided first aid to Rosales the residue transferred over.
As to why Perez had no residue on his hands, Tschoepe said there are a lot of environmental factors that could have played a roll but she couldn’t say for certain what or why.
Jury deliberations in the trial are expected on Friday. If found guilty, Perez is facing a possible maximum punishment of up to life in prison.