By Andy Furillo
afurillo@sacbee.com
Closing arguments got under way today in the murder trial of three defendants accused in the Jan. 3, 2006, shooting death of a teenager in the doorway of his parents' Land Park home.
"Let's say it like it is," Deputy District Attorney Sean Laird told the jury, then turning to Alex Brown Jr., Terry Larell Alexander and David Jacob Carrera and saying, "The evidence in this case revealed these three men to be monsters."
Brown, 34, Carrera, 33, and Alexander, 26, are accused of killing James Ramirez, 18, in a failed attempt to rob the victim of either marijuana or money.
They went to Ramirez' house after earlier robbing, pistol-whipping and kidnapping two of his friends, but coming out dissatisfied with their take, Laird told the jury.
The three also are accused in a separate dope robbery of several other victims in Oak Park, Laird said. The robbers forced their victims into what Laird called sexual humiliation and degradation which Alexander photographed on his cell phone.
"Mr. Alexander was having a merry old time pistol-whipping people in the head, forcing them to have sex...and keeping pictures of it like a trophy," Laird said.
Laird was expected to finish the first part of his closing argument this afternoon. Defense attorneys C. Emmett Mahle, James Warden and Olaf Hedberg expected to begin today and conclude on Wednesday before the prosecutor comes back with his rebuttal.
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