Final Phase in 1st Newark Schoolyard Slayings Trial

Lawyers made their final arguments today in the murder trial of Rodolfo Godinez. He is one of six defendants accused in a brutal 2007 killing of three college students in a Newark schoolyard. These were young adults with promising futures, and the crime was shocking, even by the violent standards of one of the region's most tumultuous cities.

"Basically, the prosecution is saying that this is a ritualistic gang slaying that the four Newark teenagers and young adults just happened upon," said Mark Di Ionno, a columnist for the The Star-Ledger. "Two guys were there drinking beer and somehow four others were summoned to go through the initiation rite for members of MS-13, a gang with Central American roots."

Speaking to WNYC's Amy Eddings, Di Ionno said the defense put up only one witness, a clinical psychologist who testified that Godinez, 26, is of low intelligence.

"The strategy is to make him out to be a follower as opposed to a leader," Di Ionno said.

Iofemi Hightower, 19, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Terrance Aeriel, 18, all died in the attack on August 4, 2007. Natasha Aerial, now 22, survived and took the stand to testify in this trial.

A judge is expected to instruct the 16-member jury on the charges today.

Listen to the full conversation here.

[MP3]http://audio.wnyc.org/news/news20100518_atc_2way_godinez.mp3[/MP3]