A photo of Jajuan Benavides was part of a memorial set up on Anson Street in 2017
ANSONIA — DERBY — Five witnesses took the stand on the first day of testimony in the trial of an Ansonia man accused of murder.
Jacob Freeman, of Ansonia, is accused of gunning down 21-year-old Jajuan Benavides on Anson Street in Derby at about 2 a.m. Aug. 11, 2017, shortly after an argument between the two.
Freeman has pleaded not guilty.
The trial started Monday (June 17) in front of Judge Eliot D. Prescott.
The people called to the stand by the prosecution on day one included a retired Derby police sergeant, an assistant medical examiner, two female friends of Benavides who were there when he was shot, and a neighbor who told her mother to hit the floor as the shots were fired.
The two female friends — a 26-year-old who now lives in Shelton and a 27-year-old from Milford — had been friends with Benavides for years, having grown up in Ansonia and Derby.
The Valley Indy isn’t using their names because they said in the past they feared retribution for talking.
The women testified they were hanging out with Benavides on Anson Street (nicknamed ‘A block’ or ‘the A’) starting at about 1 p.m. Aug. 10. Activities included drinking alcohol and looking at old photos.
The women testified that later in the day (about 11:25 p.m. according to an arrest warrant) Freeman, a female, and a man they didn’t know arrived on Anson Street in a vehicle.
Freeman got out, approached Benavides, and began talking. The discussion got heated, with both men appearing “frustrated,” according to testimony. The women did not testify about the nature of the argument. The 26-year-old testified that the beef appeared over as she saw Freeman and Benavides shake hands. The duo had apparently not liked each other for some time.
Freeman left, according to testimony, while Benavides and the two women went to a bonfire on Hawkins Street, a short distance away.
Benavides showed the 27-year-old that he was carrying a gun. An arrest warrant states that Benavides told a friend he had to “watch his back” because of problems he was having with unspecified “Ansonia people.”
After the bonfire, the trio made their way back to Anson Street, to a front porch that was recessed from the street. They were all looking at photos on a cell phone, the women testified.
Suddenly a figure dressed in all black and wearing a mask came running down Anson Street.
Benavides ran and was pursued by the dark figure holding a gun. The now 27-year-old woman screamed, “Jajuan!“
The two friends testified that Benavides ran in a zig-zag pattern down Anson Street toward Fifth Street, and said “Chill, Jacob, chill,” only to trip and fall.
He was shot three times — twice in the area just above his buttocks and once in his rear thigh. The two shots fired into his lower back came out of his abdomen and did extensive damage to his internal organs. He was pronounced dead at Bridgeport Hospital within five hours, according to testimony.
The shooter ran past the women back up Anson Street. Police believe Freeman got into a vehicle being driven by Rhameir Bush, who has murder conspiracy charges pending.
One of the women testified that she saw a gun next to Benavides as he lay bleeding. She slid it away because she wanted to sit beside him. The other woman testified it was the gun Benavides showed her earlier. The sergeant testified the gun appeared to be jammed.
One of Benavides’ friends said it looked like he was trying to pull the gun from his waistband prior to getting killed.
While both women testified Benavides said “Chill, Jacob, chill” before being shot, neither eyewitness could positively identify Freeman as the shooter, saying the shooter’s face was covered.
Upon cross-examination by Freeman’s lawyer, Walter Hussey, both women testified that they had not told detectives about Benavides saying his alleged killer’s first name — nor did they mention it while they were under oath in court during a probable cause hearing in the case.
Both described not wanting to get involved in the case.
The 26-year-old further testified that parts of her previous statement to police were bogus, including telling them she was intoxicated while her friend was murdered. She knew drunk people can’t offer credible testimony, she testified.
The 26-year-old testified that she thought there was a chance she would get killed if she talked.
“If somebody could do that to him, why couldn’t they do it to me?” she said. Her attitude changed as the years went on. Both said they grew “angry” at what happened to Benavides.
Both women were issued subpoenas compelling them to show up in court.
A neighbor testified she heard a series of loud “pops,” then told her mother to get on the ground, because the sound was not fireworks. She peered out of her living room window and saw Benavides grab a fence and then collapse to the ground. The woman did not see the shooter.
Retired Derby Police Sgt. Christopher Benanto was the patrol sergeant on duty when cops started getting reports of shots fired and a person down on Anson Street.
He said he immediately recognized the victim as Benavides, who grew up in the neighborhood. Benanto said he remembered Benavides as a toddler getting pushed in a stroller by family members. He was also known to cops for getting into trouble on occasion, Benanto testified.
The retired police officer described a chaotic scene in the minutes after Benavides was shot. He said a group of 15 to 20 people were outside and emotional. Medics from Storm Ambulance around the corner ran to the scene on foot, but the crowd were “pushing and pulling” the medics, briefly keeping them from doing their job. Police from Ansonia and Shelton were called in for crowd control.
The defense lawyer asked if any witnesses talked to police at the scene.
“Zero. Nobody wanted to talk. Everybody wanted to follow the ambulance,” Benanto said.
The trial is scheduled to continue at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Superior Court in Milford. The trial could last into next week, the judge estimated.
