Testimony began Tuesday in the 406th District Court in Laredo in the trial of U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Eliomar Santos. Court records show he faces four charges, including a third-degree felony, stemming from a July 2022 domestic dispute involving a fellow CBP supervisor. Jury selection concluded Monday before Judge David E. Garcia.
Assistant District Attorney Carlos Eduardo Garza leads the prosecution. Prosecutors told jurors the altercation turned violent on July 31, 2022, after an evening at a food park. The state argues Santos assaulted the supervisor at her home, impeded her breathing, blocked her from calling 911 and unlawfully restrained her in a closet before she escaped to a neighbor's house.
Defense attorneys George J. Altgelt and Oscar O. Pena said the two had been in an extramarital affair for three years and described the relationship as mutually toxic. The defense disputes the charges and argues Santos was not the aggressor.
The state's first witness, Laredo Police Officer Jesus Ricardo Ramirez, testified he was dispatched around 7 a.m. to a disturbance and found the woman frantic, crying and visibly bruised, according to his testimony. Under cross-examination, Altgelt questioned Ramirez about the closet door, which lacked a functional lock.