Prosecution, defense rests in McCray trial

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Riccardo McCray’s first degree murder trial resumed Tuesday morning in Erie County Court.

Prosecution witness Carlotta Lester, now of Atlanta, started to become hostile inside the courtroom on Tuesday morning. The prosecution asked her if she’s even spoken to the defendant, Riccardo McCray, and she yelled, “Not since he was a baby.”

Lester went on to yell, “They’re trying to make me say something that isn’t true.”

Lester is the mother of Ahmen Lester who was shot to death last September in Buffalo. Monday, Haywood Ticking testified that he, Ahmen Lester and McCray drove to Buffalo from North Carolina following the city grill shootings last August.

Tuesday morning, Lester told the prosecution that she was emotional when she told them her previous testimony.

“I lashed out at anyone,” Lester said.

It’s still unclear exactly what the prosecution was trying to get out of her.

The next prosecution witness to testify was Buffalo Homicide Detective Patrick Judge. Judge told jurors that about week after the City Grill shootings, he got a call from a man who identified himself as Riccardo McCray.

Judge told jurors that McCray claimed, “I’m scared.”

Judge went onto say that McCray said he’d meet him in Buffalo in four hours. But McCray never showed up, said Judge. Defense attorney Joe Terranova fired back. Terranova asked Judge if he was one hundred percent sure that it was McCray on the other end of the phone.

Judge responded, “No.”

Judge told jurors that the call came from an unknown number.

A man that prosecutors describe as McCray's friend was also called to the witness stand. Steven Talley, who was led into court in handcuffs, refused to answer prosecutor James Bargnesi's questions. Prosecutors say Talley and McCray are friends and were at the City Grill together the night of the shootings. At one point, prosecutors asked Tally if he had telephone conversations with McCray after the shootings. Talley answered, "I have nothing to say."

On another matter, one of the counts against the 24-year-old McCray was dismissed by prosecutors. They cited no proof of injury suffered by shooting victim Tilman Ward.

The prosecution rested Tuesday, and not long after that, the defense rested without calling any witnesses. Closing arguments are set for Thursday and the jury could get the case as early as Thursday afternoon.