Day 7: Forensic doctor says El Gallito was likely shot ‘in back of head from close range’

HARLINGEN, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — The doctor who examined the remains of well known Harlingen attorney Ernesto Gonzales said the man was shot in the back of the head at close range.

He took the stand on Wednesday morning.

Solomon Campos Jr is charged with capital murder for the death of his uncle, who went by the nickname “El Gallito.”

On Tuesday, the victim’s son, EJ Gonzales, took the stand for most of the day, testifying on his relationship with his father and they conversations had with family members in the days leading up to his disappearance.

EJ has not returned to the witness stand Wednesday morning as he was expected to.

Instead, the state called an expert forensic anthropologist as its first witness of the day. Dr. John Servello examined the skeletal remains of Gonzales when they were sent to his lab in Fort Worth.

Dr. Servello said Gonzales was likely shot in the back of the head from close range.

The jurors were shown photos from the forensic report that indicate Gonzales had multiple fractures throughout his body.

Gonzales’ son is expected to continue testifying later Wednesday.

We will have more updates as the trial continues.

Afternoon Update

EJ finally took the stand Wednesday afternoon to testify on missing evidence in the case of his father’s death.

In last week’s testimonies, Harlingen police revealed that there is lost or missing evidence in connection to this case.

On Wednesday, the defense suggested that El Gallito’s son, EJ, may have gotten rid of evidence as well.

The defense asked EJ why he got rid of the laptop he used to access his dad’s location data. EJ replied; he threw the laptop away and got a new one.

This is the same data that an expert witness claimed could have been altered by someone with El Gallito’s login information. It is the same data that allowed Harlingen PD to obtain a search warrant for Campos’ property.

The defense also questioned whether EJ had changed his previous testimony.

Campos’ attorney, Erin Gamez, said EJ’s testimony today is different than what he said yesterday and what he said six months ago under oath.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KVEO-TV.