A jury selected for an ongoing double homicide trial in Marshall County has listened to multiple testimonies from the prosecution and the defense since the trial began on May 12.

Lasley, 30, of Ankeny, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder of Mario Murillo, 28, and Frances Gasca, 33, both of Marshalltown. The charges stem from an April 19, 2024 shooting at a residence north of Marshalltown on 182nd Street. The arrest report states that Lasley became upset the victims were speaking to one another in Spanish. He allegedly followed them outside and began shooting. Gasca and Murillo reportedly each had seven bullet wounds and 14 cartridge cases were found at the scene.

Lasley’s defense attorneys – Christine Branstad and David Newkirk – told the jury in the opening statement on May 13 that there was a second shooter that night, and Lasley reacted out of fear.

On Wednesday, the defense placed multiple witnesses on the stand to testify, including Lasley. Newkirk asked Lasley if, during his testimony in which he said he fired a gun seven times, he knew he had shot Gasca or if he learned of Gasca’s fatal wounds during the trial.

“From the trial, I know the shots I fired hit her,” he said.

Newkirk asked, when Lasley was firing his gun, if he was aiming for Murillo or Gasca. Lasley told him he was not, but was trying to shoot Raul Ricardo “Indio” Mares Rodriguez, who lived at the residence at the time and was there that night.

Witness Jake Lillibridge, who also lived at the residence, was there at the time of the shooting but did not directly see what happened. He was in the upstairs portion of the house and Mares Rodriguez, Murillo and Gasca were in the lower portion. Lillibridge said Lasley was sometimes upstairs with him, chatting. Other times, he was downstairs.

He testified that he heard increasingly heated arguing from downstairs, but could not make out what was said or who was saying it. The only voice he recognized was Gasca’s, and Lillibridge said that was because she had a female-sounding voice and the others did not. He testified that he heard two groupings of gunshots, and shortly afterward, Mares Rodriguez ran upstairs, yelling that someone was shooting. Then he ran out the back door, jumped off the deck and into the cornfield, Lillibridge said.

Wanting to distance himself from whatever transpired, Lillibridge said he told Lasley he did not want to know what happened as they got into Lillibridge’s vehicle and drove away.

Earlier in the week, Branstand brought forward text messages she said were evidence of Gasca and Murillo having a close relationship and Mares Rodriguez being jealous about that. One of Gasca’s text messages indicated that she wanted to keep the relationship with Murillo quiet for the time being because Mares Rodriguez was watching her.

Defense witness Jessica Catron testified that Mares Rodriguez and Gasca had a “toxic” relationship, and he did not like her even talking to other men. She also said there were times Mares Rodriguez was physically abusive, and Gasca had bruises as a result.

During Lasley’s testimony, Newkirk brought up his law enforcement video interview that was played for the jury earlier this week in which Lasley said he “squeezed” and hit Gasca. Lasley also told law enforcement he saw Mares Rodriguez running away. In the video, there are long periods of silence, with only heavy breathing heard. The silence was frequently broken by Lasley cursing before telling law enforcement more of what happened that fateful night.

Newkirk said Lasley was sober on Wednesday during the trial, but high during that interview. In fact, when Lasley was arrested on April 20, there were two grams of methamphetamine in his pocket and a used smoking device.

“Today, rationally, you’re wishing you had said something different,” Newkirk asked, and Lasley told him that was correct.

Newkirk said since Lasley had not called 911, he asked his client if he wished he had. Lasley said he did.

“Do you wish you had made different decisions that day?” Newkirk asked.

“Yes, I do,” Lasley responded.

“Were you surprised when you heard you were being charged with this?” the attorney asked.

“Yes, I was,” Lasley said.

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Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or

lbradstream@timesrepublican.com.