FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A South Florida man accused of a fatal domestic shooting nearly six years ago took the stand Monday morning, saying he was forced to fire.
In December 2019, detectives arrested Alexander Deltoro, who was 28 years old at the time, alleging he shot and killed his mother after an argument outside their apartment building in Margate.
Deltoro spoke on the stand Monday morning at the Broward County courthouse, where he told jurors he was defending himself after some sort of argument with his parents outside their Margate apartment resulted in the fatal shooting.
He said he pulled out the gun during the argument because his father had done the same. His father then allegedly slapped his hand, causing the gun to go off and strike his mother.
Deltoro even demonstrated to the jury how, he says, it happened.
“Yes, I told him to leave us alone and get away from us,” Deltoro said before a jury. “And at the time when I went to raise the gun, that’s when he came in with his left arm, and he smacked the gun out of my hand, and that’s when it went off. My heart sank to my stomach.”
911 was immediately called; however, Deltoro’s mother would unfortunately pass away.
He said his father was violent and that he never meant to hurt his mother or anyone.
“What this case boils down to is a scared kid on his birthday tried to save his mother from his father, then he tried to save his father for his mother,” said defense attorney Ronald Baum.
But prosecutors cross-examined him and told him he was at fault for his mother’s death because the gun was in his hand.
“The issue here is that you were angry at your father, according to the story today, for the horrible way he’s been throughout your life to you and your mom. And because of that anger, you took out a firearm to kill him on December 14, 2019, and that’s why we are here. Do you understand that?” said prosecutor Courtney DePersio.
“Incorrect,” said Deltoro.
“And because your firearm is loaded, which you made sure of when you reacted, and because your finger is on that trigger, that firearm went off and a bullet hit your mom in the middle of her face. Correct?” said DePersio.
“Correct,” said Deltoro.
Prosecutors told the jury Deltoro’s self-defense claims were brought up years later in court.
“And what you said to cops that night went from, ‘Oops, it was an accident, I shot my mom,’ to now, five years later, self-defense,” said DePersio.
“No. That’s what happened that night,” said Deltoro.
“An accident is not taking out your firearm to scare or intimidate somebody else or shoot somebody else and then getting another person. That is not an accident that is excused by the law,” said DePersio.
Deltoro faces charges of manslaughter and carrying a concealed weapon.
On Monday afternoon, closing arguments ended. Jurors will begin deliberations on Tuesday.
If found guilty, he could face 15 years in prison.
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