Littlefield man convicted of killing girlfriend
LUBBOCK – A Littlefield man was found guilty Tuesday evening, Nov. 5, of murdering his girlfriend last year.
Eduardo Carlos Ortega was convicted after just 10 minutes of deliberation by a Lamb County jury of nine men and three women.
Ortega, 22, murdered Ashley Perea on July 7, 2012, in the apartment they shared near Littlefield High School.
Dressed in a black dress shirt, slacks and a tie, Ortega displayed no emotion while the verdict was read.
A few minutes later, he hung his head.
Perea’s family exchanged tearful hugs. They want her to be remembered not for the moment her life was taken, but for the joy she brought them in the 24 years before that, they said.
Anita Perea described to A-J Media a daughter with a cheerful demeanor and a talented singing voice. Ashley would frequently sing to her own daughter, now-6-year-old Daniah, to whom she was deeply devoted.
“She was a beautiful young lady,” Anita Perea said. “She was always happy, laughing and joking. She loved her family.”
Defense was unsuccessful in convincing the jury of their theory that Perea was killed accidentally after she threatened suicide and Ortega attempted to retrieve the gun from her.
“He went for the gun, and it discharged, and she shot herself because she was the one holding the gun,” Nick Olguin, Ortega’s Lubbock-based defense attorney, said during closing arguments.
Prosecutors described a different scenario.
In his own closing arguments, Lamb County District Attorney Scott Say told the jury to recall testimony from law enforcement earlier in the trial that Perea was likely holding her hand in front of her while she was killed, and her body was moved afterward.
“You know from all the experts the gun was not in Ashley’s hands,” Say said.
Olguin also claimed the case contained insufficient physical evidence. He questioned why the Littlefield Police Department failed to collect a comforter from Perea’s bed, which he said could have benefited the defense.
“In the United States of America, we do not convict a man based on that type of police work,” Olguin said. “You cannot trade one tragedy for another, and a tragedy would be convicting this man and sending him away for a long time.”
Assistant District Attorney Rickie Redman said a missing piece or two of evidence still left enough available to point to guilt. She reminded the jury of previous testimony that Ortega left the scene without seeking help for Perea, then hid the gun and told law enforcement varying accounts of what happened that morning.
“If this really were an accident and he’s not criminally responsible for her death, why not volunteer that?” she said.
Court will reconvene at 9 a.m. today, Nov. 6, to hear testimony for Ortega’s punishment phase. Ortega’s conviction is a first-degree felony. Following further jury deliberation, he will be sentenced to anywhere between five and 99 years in prison, or life.
