On Monday evening, the defense rested its case after calling only two witnesses, a clinical psychologist and a crime scene analyst.
Jurors heard from Dr. Sasha Lambert, who testified about how trauma can affect the brain. Lambert said Earls appeared visibly shaken when he gave his statement to police and remains traumatized by the events of Feb. 14, 2022.
According to Lambert, Earls' brain was likely in a "fight-or-flight" state when he fired.
"If you are already in fight-or-flight response, if you are in stress-response mode, certain things are going to happen to your vision. Your vision is going to become a lot more aware of bright lights, so like reverse lights. You are going to become much more aware of movements, and your body is going to respond before, in most cases, you really evaluate what is going on. You simply see an additional threat or a continued threat," she told the jury.
SEE PREVIOUS REPORT: Jury sees gun used in 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez's death in trial's third day
Jury sees gun used in 9-year-old Arlene Alvarez's death in trial's third day
Prosecutor John Jordan, however, pressed Lambert on whether Earls was fearful or simply angry when he opened fire.
Much of the prosecution's case has relied on presentations created using audio and video from multiple sources. The defense's second witness, Andrew Taravella, took the stand Monday afternoon in an effort to discredit those productions and dispute some of the state's assertions, namely that there were only 10 gunshots.
"The succession, the cadence, the percussion, in my opinion, I believe to be 15 gunshots," explained Taravella, a crime scene analyst who recently retired from the Houston Police Department. "They should have been addressed in the video, more so than just passing them off as ambient noise. It required some sort of further explanation."
Video played in court shows Earls exiting his car after he and his wife were robbed at an ATM. He then fired at the fleeing suspect. His defense attorneys argue that he believed the robber was shooting back at him. However, the state maintains that Earls was the only person shooting that night and that it was reckless. One of his bullets hit the Alvarez family truck and struck Arlene in the head. She died the next day.
Earlier in the day, the prosecution's final witness, Celestina Rossi, an expert in crime scene reconstruction, presented evidence suggesting that Earls fired all 10 gunshots that the state said were captured on surveillance video the night. Rossi testified that she created 3D models using video, audio, and measurements from the crime scene. She concluded that the seventh bullet was the one that struck and killed Alvarez.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Anthony Osso emphasized Texas law on self-defense, asking Rossi whether a person has the right to shoot at a fleeing suspect after being robbed at gunpoint. Rossi agreed.
Both sides also raised questions about the police investigation, with witnesses acknowledging that the crime scene should have been examined over a wider area.
Closing arguments are set for Tuesday morning. Earls is charged with manslaughter, a crime that carries a punishment of two to 20 years in prison if convicted.
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