Opinion ID: 2823201
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Testimony of Martin “Malik” White

Text: Like Mr. Mercado, Martin “Malik” White, another one of the accomplices in the attempted robbery and the murder of Mr. Nelson, testified at trial pursuant to a cooperation agreement with the state. In return for agreeing to testify for the state, Mr. White pled guilty to charges of assault with intent to commit robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was sentenced to twenty years on the assault charge with fifteen years to serve, the balance suspended with probation, and he was given a ten-year suspended sentence with ten years of probation on the conspiracy charge, to be served consecutively. Mr. White testified that, on August 16, 2004, Mr. Turner, whom Mr. White had known for approximately twenty years, called to tell him about a “lick” that was planned for later that day. Mr. White explained in his testimony that he understood a “lick” to mean a robbery. He then testified that Mr. Turner had learned of the planned robbery from Mr. Martinez. According to the testimony of Mr. White, he next met with Mr. Turner and Mr. Martinez later that day at Mr. Turner’s house on Almy Street to further discuss the robbery. He stated that the group decided that they needed a weapon for the robbery, and he volunteered to attempt to acquire one. It was then Mr. White’s testimony that he called defendant in an attempt to obtain a gun for the planned robbery. He stated that he then drove Mr. Turner and defendant to a rendezvous with an unidentified individual. Mr. White testified that at that rendezvous Mr. Turner and defendant obtained a “silver” “automatic” weapon from the unidentified individual, who was in a dark-colored SUV. With respect to the actual attempted robbery, Mr. White testified that, when the group of men eventually arrived at the Knight Street apartment, Mr. Turner, followed by defendant and Mr. White, entered the building through the back entrance. According to the testimony of Mr. -7- White, Mr. Turner, who was wearing gloves as well as a brown “mask” composed of “a sock or some kind of nylon,” went up the stairs to the second floor of the building while Mr. White and defendant remained at the bottom of the stairs. Mr. White testified that he witnessed Mr. Turner knock on the door and that he heard the door open. He stated that, before the door opened fully, he heard a “scuffle.” He also stated that he then heard a gunshot. It was Mr. White’s testimony that, after the gunshot, he saw Mr. Turner exit the apartment and that he, Mr. Turner, and defendant all ran back to Mr. White’s car and fled the scene. Mr. White stated that he eventually surrendered to the police because he “knew the police were looking for [him].” He also stated that he learned that Mr. Turner had implicated him in the attempted robbery and the murder of Mr. Nelson. It was Mr. White’s further testimony that, after he was indicted for the murder of Mr. Nelson, among other charges, he entered into the previously mentioned cooperation agreement with the state. During cross-examination, Mr. White conceded that, when he gave his statement to the police, he was aware of the contents of Mr. Mercado’s earlier statement to police implicating defendant, Mr. Martinez, Mr. Turner, and Mr. White himself in the attempted robbery and the murder of Mr. Nelson. Mr. White also conceded that, “in order to get the best deal,” he had to “give consistent information to that which [Mr.] Mercado had provided.” 5. The Testimony of Detective Sergeant Michael Sweeney Detective Sergeant Michael Sweeney testified for the prosecution that, in 2004, he was a member of the Providence Police Department investigating the murder of Christopher Nelson. Detective Sweeney further testified that he drafted an arrest warrant for defendant. It was then his testimony that, after being unable to locate the defendant for several weeks, he contacted the Rhode Island State Police, who had “a fugitive task force that strictly searches for individuals -8- that are wanted for a period of time   .” Detective Sweeney stated that he provided the “fugitive task force” with defendant’s “identifying information” and “photographs.” 6. The Testimony of Patricia “Vicky” Gallardo Patricia “Vicky” Gallardo testified at trial for the state with respect to her relationship with defendant while he was living in Arizona as “Benny Delgado.” Ms. Gallardo stated that, in 2008, she met defendant through an “online dating service” called “Mocospace.” Ms. Gallardo testified that, during their online conversations, defendant told her that his name was “Benny;” she further testified that she later learned that his last name was “Delgado.” Ms. Gallardo stated that she eventually began a romantic relationship with defendant. It was her testimony, however, that by 2009 she had temporarily ended her romantic relationship with defendant because he “kind of became controlling.” She specified that defendant “wanted to know everything [she] was doing” and “who [she] was talking to.” She also added that defendant “would not let [her]” take his photograph. Ms. Gallardo testified that she resumed her romantic relationship with defendant a few months after the above-referenced hiatus, around the time when she discovered that she was pregnant with their child. Ms. Gallardo stated that, when she was four months pregnant, she moved into the house defendant was already sharing with a roommate and his roommate’s family in Glendale, Arizona. According to Ms. Gallardo, during this time, she overheard defendant identify himself as “Ray” during phone calls. Ms. Gallardo testified that she and defendant eventually moved into a rented house in a gated community in the Glendale area shortly before the birth of their son Aaron4 in January of 4 In order to respect the privacy of the child and of Ms. Gallardo’s subsequent significant other (see infra), we have used pseudonyms in referring to them. For the same reason, we have omitted their surnames. In doing so, we intend no disrespect. -9- 2010. Ms. Gallardo stated that, a year later, in January of 2011, she learned that defendant’s first name was “Ramon” and that he was “wanted” by law enforcement authorities in Rhode Island. Ms. Gallardo indicated that, when she confronted defendant with that information, he initially denied the allegations in their entirety. It was the subsequent testimony of Ms. Gallardo that, in the Spring of 2011, her relationship with defendant deteriorated due to the fact that she considered him to be “controlling, possessive, [and] obsessive.” She testified that, when she confronted defendant about his controlling behavior, he blamed his actions on being “wanted” by law enforcement. According to Ms. Gallardo, in June of 2011, she and defendant ended their romantic relationship and defendant moved out of their house in the Glendale area. Ms. Gallardo stated that, after defendant moved out, she found an envelope of documents among his belongings and that one of those documents bore the name “Ramon Virola.” She added that, when she told defendant that she had those documents, he asked her to give them back. Ms. Gallardo testified that, after she refused to give them back, he offered to pay her money in exchange for their return. However, Ms. Gallardo stated that she refused defendant’s offer and eventually lost the documents when she moved out of the house in the Glendale area shortly thereafter. It was next Ms. Gallardo’s testimony that she moved to Chino Valley, Arizona, with her son and her new significant other, Alice.5 She stated that she specifically did not tell defendant where she was moving. Nonetheless, Ms. Gallardo further testified that, in November of 2011, she came to believe that defendant knew where she was living. It was her testimony that, in that month, defendant sent her a text message stating that he “knew where [she] was” and that “he was coming;” according to Ms. Gallardo, defendant included a photograph of a “highway sign,” 5 See footnote 4, supra. - 10 - which sign she testified she recognized. It was her testimony that the “highway sign” read “Prescott, Arizona. Chino Valley.” It was the further testimony of Ms. Gallardo that she was “really, really scared;” she added that, consequently, she contacted the Chino Valley Police Department and told the police that defendant was wanted by law enforcement in Rhode Island. Ms. Gallardo stated that she was then contacted by United States Marshals, and she eventually learned that defendant had been apprehended. On cross-examination, defense counsel questioned Ms. Gallardo as to why she had not moved out of the rented home which she shared with defendant sooner if, in the words of defense counsel, defendant “was preventing [Ms. Gallardo] from being independent and enjoying [her] own life   .” Ms. Gallardo answered that she “wasn’t allowed” to move out because defendant “blackmailed [her].” Ms. Gallardo further stated that she continued to live with defendant because she felt that she “didn’t have a choice.” Additionally, in response to defense counsel’s questioning, Ms. Gallardo stated that she had met her then-current significant other, Alice, in 2011, “[a] little bit before the incident of where he -- where it got physical.” Ms. Gallardo went on to state that defendant “moved out after he got physical with [her].” On redirect examination, Ms. Gallardo clarified that defendant had struck her and that his striking her was what caused both the end of their relationship and defendant’s move out of their home in the Glendale area. She further stated that, after defendant had moved out but before she moved out, she returned to the home one day to find that much of her property had been vandalized. 7. The Testimony of Officer Jimmy Carlo Jimmy Carlo, a police officer with the City of Glendale, testified for the state that, on November 16, 2011, he participated in the arrest of defendant in Phoenix. Officer Carlo stated - 11 - that, at the time of his arrest, defendant was carrying a driver’s license which bore the name “Benny Delgado Martinez.” Officer Carlo testified that defendant initially denied that he was Ramon Virola. However, Officer Carlo stated that, once he told defendant that “he was going to get fingerprinted,” which would reveal his identity, defendant said: “‘You know who I am.’”