Jurors Resume Deliberations in Trial of Dennis Escobar, Man Accused of Killing Miami Police Officer Victor Estefan

Dennis Escobar facing first-degree murder charge in death of Officer Victor Estefan

Jurors will resume deliberations Thursday in the trial of a man charged with murdering a Miami Police officer nearly 25 years ago.

Dennis Escobar, 52, is charged with first-degree murder in the March 31, 1988 killing of Officer Victor Estefan during a traffic stop in Little Havana.

Prosecutors say Escobar confessed to fatally shooting Estefan before dumping a revolver in a canal and fleeing to California with his brother, Douglas Escobar.

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The brothers were later arrested in California after a shootout with the California Highway Patrol. They were convicted and are serving life sentences in that shooting.

The pair were also convicted in Estefan's murder in 1991 but the convictions were later overturned by the Florida Supreme Court.

Dennis Escobar's defense attorney claimed his client's confession was tainted by the conduct of the case's lead investigator, according to the Miami Herald.

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Defense attorney Phil Reizenstein claimed Miami Detective Jorge Morin lied under oath about how he obtained the confession and ignored Escobar's wish to remain silent, the Herald reported.

The trial has lasted a month. Prosecutors and defense attorneys presented closing arguments Wednesday before jurors began deliberations.

Douglas Escobar is still awaiting trial in the case.

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