Killed were Charles Coogan Kelly, 21, an acclaimed snowboarder from Truckee; Derek Kyle Jensen, 23, a senior at the University of Nevada, Reno; and Nathan Viljoen, 23, a former UNR student. Several others were injured.  Today began with the selection of the jury, followed by opening statements, and then testimony from 4 witnesses.  

Witness #1:  She was the girlfriend of one of the victims.  She had attended the party with her boyfriend and two other friends that fateful night.  She was understandably emotional as she spoke of the victim, the atmosphere of the party, and hearing gunshots outside.  It was not until the next morning that she learned her boyfriend had been killed.

Witness #2:  He attended the party with a friend, one of the victims.  He spoke of hearing gunshots while he was downstairs grabbing a beer. He went outside to find his wounded friend crawling across the patio in the backyard.  His friend later died.

Witness #3:  He was one of the renters of the home.  He described his fruitless efforts to clear out many of the uninvited guests as the party was getting out of hand.  He witnessed a man beating Tyrone Hanson, a former Nevada men's basketball player, in the kitchen...however, this witness was unable to get a good look at the assailant beyond general characteristics.  He spoke of how he escaped to the backyard only to hear gunshots while he was talking with others.  He then climbed up the outside of his house to hide in his bedroom.  He remained there until the police arrived.  He later saw a male lying on the floor by a door.  He did not know the victim. 

Witness #4:  She is a current Nevada women's basketball player.  Her testimony included a detailed eye witness account of the defendant beating and kicking Tyrone Hanson.  She spoke of Hanson's girlfriend lying on top of him trying to protect him as the defendant pointed the gun at Hanson.  This witness tried to leave the kitchen, where the beating was taking place, but was stopped by the defendant.  She said that the defendant pointed the gun directly at her.  She was later able to escape outside where she heard gunshots as she left the party with her friend, a Nevada teammate.  This witness was the only one able to identify Taukitoku and place a gun in his hands. She said she is 100% sure that the defendant is the one who beat Hanson and pointed the gun at her.

The trial continues tomorrow and is expected to last a few weeks.  For more on this story see Blog #3.