Testimony began Tuesday in the murder trial of Jose Miguel "Mike" Salazar in Edna. A medical examiner testified that Jasmine Ramirez suffered multiple injuries, including blunt force trauma and injuries consistent with possible strangulation or suffocation. Salazar is accused of killing Ramirez, his fiancée, in October 2024. Jury selection was held Monday.
Assistant District Attorney Stephen Tyler told jurors the evidence would contradict Salazar's first account, that Ramirez was struck and killed by another vehicle while urinating along the roadside. Tyler said Salazar later told investigators that Ramirez jumped from his truck and was run over by its rear tires.
Defense attorney Kurt Hopke said Salazar tried to keep Ramirez from jumping out of the truck but was unsuccessful. Hopke acknowledged that the first account about another vehicle was a lie, but said Salazar later tried to help Ramirez by contacting family members and taking her to a Victoria hospital.
Dr. Lauren Edelman of the Travis County Medical Examiner's Office was the first witness. She said she performed Ramirez's autopsy and described injuries to her head, neck, spine and other parts of her body, including a depressed skull fracture, spinal fractures, abrasions and bruising. Before testimony began, the court warned that autopsy photos could be disturbing.