A woman who witnessed the beatings that killed Sammy Resendiz and injured Carlos Lainez in August 1998 said Friday a dozen Native Americans including Rocky Boice Jr., rushed into a motel room and immediately started beating the two men with pipes and sticks.
Resendiz died of massive head wounds after the beatings. Boice is the first of 10 scheduled for trial on murder and other charges.
Carolee Simpson, then 19, said Resendiz was lying on the motel room bed when she opened the door to what she thought was Jessica Evans and one other girl.
"She stepped back and a group of Native Americans came in," she testified in court Friday. "They came rushing in."
She said they immediately started beating the two men. She named Boice as one of those beating Resendiz: "They hit Sammy, that was Rocky Boice and Lew Dutchy."
Dutchy is scheduled for trial on similar charges at a later date.
With tears in her eyes, she told the court she tried to pull them off Resendiz, but "they would shake me off."
Although the attack lasted less than a minute, she said "It seemed like forever."
The group went to the motel after Evans told them she was beaten up by one of the gang members partying there.
Defense lawyer Laurence Lichter questioned Simpson repeatedly about the order events happened that night and why she gave different accounts about whether Boice and the others said anything, and whether Resendiz said anything before the attack.
"Didn't he say he had a gun and would shoot them?" he asked.
"Nope," she replied. "Sammy didn't say anything."
He also asked whether she was "intentionally trying to hide" details about what happened.
She said she was answering as best she could remember four years later and admitted that, since then, she has tried to forget what happened that night.
Later in the day, Alejandro "Alex" Avila and David Moyle also testified they watched as Boice and others entered the room at the Roundhouse Motel on Carson Street, saying Boice was among the first through the door.
Moyle, 22, who is Native American, also testified the group went to the motel after Boice's cousin Jessica Evans was punched and knocked down by one of the gang members partying there. He said they intended to "kick some ass."
The trial continues Monday afternoon in Carson District Court.
