A Margate man who was accused of killing his own mother took the stand on Monday during his trial for manslaughter. NBC6’s Amanda Plasencia reports
A Margate man who was accused of killing his own mother took the stand on Monday during his trial for manslaughter.
Back on Dec. 14, 2019, Alexander Deltoro Jr. was out with his family celebrating his 28th birthday when he got into an argument with his father, Alexander Deltoro Sr.
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According to police, the argument started in the car and escalated when they got back to their family home in Margate.
“I feared for my mom and myself. I didn’t know what he was going to do. I didn’t know if he was either going to attack me or my mom,” Alexander Deltoro Jr. said.
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On the stand on Monday, Deltoro Jr. said that his father pulled out a gun first during the verbal and physical fight.
“I was nervous and said to him, 'What are you doing?' That’s when at that point, I pulled my gun out and I racked it,” Deltoro Jr. said.
The defendant said his father pushed his mother, Cindy Deltoro, to the ground, and in the scuffle, he ended up shooting his mother in the face. He told jurors it was an accident.
“When I went to raise the gun, that’s when he came in with his left arm, and he snatched the gun out of my hand, and that’s when it went off,” Deltoro Jr. said.
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Deltoro Jr. has claimed self-defense, however, the state says the defendant never told police that his father had a gun when he was interrogated. No other weapon was ever found at the scene.
If convicted, Deltoro Jr. could face up to 15 years in prison.
