Centennial – A man accused of killing another man at an Aurora park after a Fourth of July celebration in 2004 was in fear for his life and acted in self-defense, his attorney said Wednesday.
The first-degree murder trial of Sir Mario Owens got underway Wednesday in Arapahoe County District Court with opening statements. The trial is expected to last up to four weeks.
Owens is accused of shooting and killing Gregory Vann at Lowry Park after a rap event put on by Vann and Javad Marshall-Fields.
Owens, his friend Robert Ray and another man also have been charged in the death of Marshall-Fields, who was gunned down a year later along with his fiancée, Vivian Wolfe, on the eve of Ray’s trial, in which Marshall-Fields was to testify.
Defense attorney Laurie Kepros said up to 100 people had gathered near Ray and Marshall-Fields in the park that day in 2004.
She said Owens went to the park that evening only after Ray’s wife called him, because Ray was acting up and she feared trouble. As the party was breaking up, a confrontation took place after Ray’s wife and several women with her were blocked from leaving the parking lot.
“It is not in dispute that (Owens) did what he had to do to defend himself and his friend,” Kepros said during opening statements.
But prosecutor Jennifer Lundin said that as the conflict escalated, Ray and Owens each flashed a gun they were carrying in their waistbands as a threat.
At that point, Vann told Owens, “Why are you going to bring a gun to my party?”‘ Lundin said during opening statements.
“It was the last thing Gregory Vann would say,” Lundin told the court, “and Sir Mario Owens answers him by shooting him twice in the chest.”
Owens fired at another man, but the gun either jammed or was empty, Lundin said. Marshall-Fields was shot at one point during the commotion. Ray and Owens then left the park together.
But Kepros put forward a different picture, saying Owens and Ray flashed their guns to calm the crowd and avoid a fight. She said witnesses will testify that Owens was punched in the face and choked as a melee ensued.
In November, Ray was convicted of being an accessory to murder in Vann’s death. Ray faces 32 to 108 years in prison on seven of the nine charges. He’ll be sentenced next month.
Staff writer Carlos Illescas can be reached at 303-954-1175 or cillescas@denverpost.com.
