SANTA FE, N.M. – The jury deciding the fate of the woman accused of causing the crash that killed a Santa Fe police officer and a retired Las Vegas firefighter will be back in the courtroom Monday. 

Many trials begin with opening statements. But in this case, after the state delivered theirs, the defense deferred their opening statement.

That means they can come back to it before they call their witnesses, or opt to not do it at all.

KOB 4 points this out because opening statements are typically seen as a vital part of a trial. It’s the first chance lawyers have to present their case to the jury.

Jeannine Jaramillo, is charged with two counts of murder, aggravated fleeing, reckless driving and making a false report.

In March 2022, police say Jaramillo called them claiming her boyfriend beat and kidnapped her at knife point. That led to a high-speed chase on I-25, which ended with Jaramillo allegedly driving the wrong way and crashing into two Santa Fe police cars and an innocent bystander’s car.

Santa Fe police officer Robert Duran was in one of those cars, and retired Las Vegas firefighter Frank Lovato was in the other car.

Six witnesses were called Friday, including Benino Salas. He explained he was driving the speed limit on I-25 when a car suddenly came at him, driving the wrong way. 

“All of a sudden, I saw the windshield of a car right in front of me. I didn’t even know where it came from or what. I thought for a second that I was against traffic, because he was coming right at me. When he came at me, I didn’t have seconds to react or do anything,” said Benino Salas, a wrong-way crash victim. 

While Salas said “he” in testimony, it’s important to note, Salas said he did not see the driver and didn’t know the driver’s gender.

The defense made it a point to confirm Salas and other witnesses didn’t see Jaramillo in the car.

The state called two officers who responded to the initial call of a kidnapping, which came in as a high priority call.

Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Michael Romero was with Santa Fe police at the time, it was his third day on the job. He said he heard the call over the radio and pursued it. 

The whole chase lasted just 12 minutes. Romero described the heartbreaking moment he responded to the crash scene.

“I saw officer Duran deceased in his vehicle, blood on his patch and airbag,” said Romero.

Jurors have been sent home for the weekend. The trial will pick back up Monday, where it’s expected to last at least another five days.

The state has more than 100 people on its witness list, so they’ll start things off.