The state continued to present evidence this morning as the testimony continued for the sixth day in the trial of the 2019 murder of Hall County Deputy Blane Dixon.
GBI Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jonathan Eisenstat was on the stand as court got underway Monday morning. Robert McNeill, the co-defense attorney for Hector Garcia-Solis, the accused triggerman in Dixon's murder, quizzed Eisenstat about the extent of the deputy's injury.
One of the bullets allegedly fired by Garcia-Solis, hit Deputy Dixon below his bullet-proof vest, entering his right side and severing his left iliofemoral artery.
"When the bullet perforated the iliofemoral artery, he essentially bled out," Eisenstat said. "Internally, both into his abdominal cavity and into the soft tissues called the retroperitoneum."
The court also heard this afternoon from two GBI agents. Special Agent Elaina Honea, a crime scene investigator with the GBI, spent about an hour and a half discussing evidence she photographed at the scene - everything from tire marks left by the crash involving the suspect vehicle to bullets found lodged in houses in the Highland Avenue area where the incident occurred.
Sarah Van Holm - firearms specialist with the GBI - offered in-depth testimony on the weapons found at the crime scene.
Following a recess of the court around 2:30 p.m., the state called Giovanni Castillo, a friend of the three defendants, to the stand.
The trial intensified as Assistant District Attorney Harold Buckler questioned Castillo. According to his testimony, Castillo had contact with the defendants in the days leading up to the shooting death of Dixon.
Castillo's answers often did not line up with previous testimony from an agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Twice, Buckler asked the court to allow him to treat Castillo as a hostile witness.
Buckler also questioned Castillo about the night Dixon was shot. Castillo testified that London Clements came to his house the night of the shooting.
"Supposedly they crashed, they were running, supposedly London said he heard gunshots when he was running," said Castillo.
Buckler called Officer Keith Lyons to the stand, who was patrolling that night and arrived at the scene after Dixon was shot. Lyons said he rendered aid to Garcia-Solis, not knowing if he was a suspect or a victim.
Buckler showed Lyons' bodycam footage of that night, which showed Lyons ordering Garcia-Solis to get on his stomach. He then handcuffed him and began administering first-aid.
Garcia-Solis was injured and insisted multiple times that he had to go to the hospital.
"We have to go now," Garcia-Solis said. "I'm losing so much blood."
When paramedics arrived, Lyons said he went to the hospital and found out that Dixon was dead.
The trial will resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 29.
