Defendant Saul Nava takes stand in murder-torture trial

A man charged with the murder-torture of his girlfriend in Thousand Oaks took the stand Tuesday, testifying that he did not intend to kill the 24-year-old woman while admitting he caused her death.

Defendant Saul Nava, 24, is accused of murdering Alisen Takacs Escobar between Dec. 23 and 24, 2021, inside their apartment. The county medical examiner found she died of blunt force injuries and ruled her death a homicide.

Nava testified that he hit Takacs Escobar with a belt and a baseball bat on that night. He said he used both the belt and bat on her limbs, struck her on the back with the belt and put the bat over her head twice. He didn't apply any pressure on her head the first time, he said, but did the second. He said he knew she felt it when she expressed pain.

"At this point, did you think you were killing her?" defense attorney Andria Kim asked.

"No," he answered.

A video played by the prosecution earlier in the day showed blood streaming across a large portion of the victim's face, starting at the hairline and going down to her neck. It was one of four videos that he allegedly shot on his cell phone that night. She appeared naked from the waist up with six insulting words tattooed on her chest, most of which were believed to have been freshly applied, and looked disoriented.

The attack came a couple weeks after Nava apparently saw a phone message between her and a former boyfriend.

A police witness described the message as "flirtatious," and said that it spoke of the pair's former sexual relationship.

But the prosecution said they were not having a sexual relationship at the time.

Nava indicated he was aware of that but said he considered flirting cheating.

He said he did not become violent with the victim for a year, ending the month of the attack. He became violent then, he said, because of "pent-up frustration" and what he described as constantly feeling betrayed by her interest in other men.

Evidence showed he shot four videos of her on his cell phone on the night of Dec. 23. "Express yourself," a male voice said in one. She answers: "I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified."

"Is what you did worth it? the voice asks. She answers no, the pain isn't worth it.

The first video was recorded around 10 p.m. and the last around 11:30 p.m. The defendant reportedly made 12 calls to his best friend shortly after 1 a.m., out of what he said was panic, then called 911 about 1:17 a.m.

Under questioning from the prosecution, he said he assumed an hour went by from the time of the last video to the point when she was unresponsive.

He testified that he tried to help the victim by offering her pain medication, cold and hot packs and by giving her cardiopulmonary resuscitation before paramedics arrived. She was declared dead at the scene and Nava was arrested.

Kim, a public defender, asked Nava several times if he intended to kill the woman and did again as he finished his testimony on the death.

"I cared about her and her life," he told Kim. "From anger and from betrayal, there were times I hated her, but I still cared about her."

"Did you intend to kill (her) on Dec. 23?" Kim asked.

"No, he said.

The murder charge he faces requires a finding that he committed the act willfully and with malice aforethought, which is generally defined as the intention to kill or harm. He's also charged with five special allegations connected to the act, namely it was intentional and accompanied by torture, involved great violence, the victim was particularly vulnerable, it was carried out with planning and sophistication, and that his conduct indicates a serious danger to society. The allegations can bring heavier sentences if a defendant is convicted.

He's also charged with aggravated mayhem against the victim starting six weeks before the death, plus serious crimes against a former girlfriend.

The courtroom was packed with attorneys, family members and others Tuesday afternoon as Nava took the stand in the high-profile murder case in Ventura County Superior Court. He was sworn in after the prosecution rested and the defense passed on the opportunity to make an opening statement, as his attorneys initially did when the trial opened on Sept. 26. Nava is expected to be the defense's only witness.

Nava was scheduled to resume the witness stand Wednesday for continued questioning from the prosecution. Two days later on Friday, attorneys for both sides are expected to make their closing arguments.

Kathleen Wilson covers courts, mental health and local government issues for the Ventura County Star. Reach her at kathleen.wilson@vcstar.com.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Defendant Saul Nava takes stand in murder-torture trial