| Connecticut Post Newspaper Friday, March 30, 2007 By - Daniel Tepfer Kiss murder trial in hands of jury Miguel Zapata, formerly of Bridgeport, is accused with another man, Orema Taft, of firing more than a dozen shots into 24-year-old Zoltan Kiss as Kiss sat in his car on Pembroke Street early on the morning of Sept. 28, 2001. Bridgeport - A Superior Court jury Thursday began deliberating the fate of Miguel Zapata, accused of murdering a Toronto man on an East Side street six years ago. The 12 jurors had left the courtroom only a half-hour when they asked Judge Hauser for the definition of accessory to the crime. They will be given that definition this morning. In two rousing final arguments, the lawyers for the state and defense gave the jury their differing versions of the evidence against Zapata, 22. Zapata, formerly of Bridgeport, is accused with another man, Orema Taft, of firing more than a dozen shots into 24-year-old Zoltan Kiss as Kiss sat in his car on Pembroke Street early on the morning of Sept. 28, 2001. Witnesses testified that Kiss was visiting a girlfriend in Bridgeport and borrowed her car to go buy the drug Ecstasy. He drove to an alleyway on Pembroke Street known to be a spot where illegal drugs were routinely sold. Witnesses said Zapata and Taft decided to rob Kiss when he arrived on the scene. When Kiss tried to drive away, the two men fired into the car, witnesses said. Zapata is charged with Murder, Conspiracy to Commit Murder, and Carrying a Pistol Without a Permit. The trial was punctuated by claims that Zapata was threatening witnesses against him. One man who claimed Zapata had confessed to him that he had killed Kiss, later recanted that claim on the witness stand. Zapata's lawyer, Francis O'Reilly, told the jury the state's witnesses, including two women who claimed they saw Zapata shoot Kiss, were not credible. "They are criminals, drug dealers, drug addicts, manipulators and the state wants you to convict my client based on their testimony," he said. "Mr. Zapata's liberty is at risk here and things have to be considered very seriously." Senior Assistant C. Robert Satti Jr. contended all the evidence he presented had painted a picture of Zapata's guilt. "The defendant and Mr. Taft decided to be big men. They were going to show that this was their turf, but they didn't even have the courage to confront Mr. Kiss face to face. They shot him in the back and just kept on shooting," he told the jury. |
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