The trial of James Zarate started yesterday. Zarate is the younger brother of Jonathan Zarate who was convicted in the gruesome murder of 16-year-old Jennifer Parks. The prosecution believes that both Zarate brothers had a hand in killing Jennifer.

On July 30, 2005, Jonathan Zarate brutally beat and stabbed Jennifer, dismembered her body, hid it in a trunk for 24 hours, then tried dumping her body into the Passaic River in New Jersey. Both Zarates and a third teen were caught by police trying to dump the body. The motive is believed to have stemmed from when Jennifer got the younger Zarate brother in trouble for bullying her. James Zarate was 14 at the time and is being tried as an adult.

Speaking of the third teen, Judge Salem Ahto ruled that the jury will be hearing testimony from the third teen, one Vladimir Basilio.

Such hearsay testimony is usually barred except in cases in which it is deemed substantial enough to indicate a conspiracy participated in by a defendant.

Ruling the state met those burdens, Ahto noted Basilio has testified the brothers sought him out to help them dispose of the remains and voluntarily told him how they did it.

“In order to enlist Basilio’s assistance, it reasonably follows that Basilio had to be advised about what had occurred, or at least something of what had occurred,” Ahto said.

Except convicting James Zarate isn’t going to be as easy as it was convicting his brother. Not only did Jonathan Zarate confess to the killing but his behavior in prison while awaiting trial didn’t help him out either. In this trial, the prosecution is going to have to rely heavily on the forensic evidence.

Thanks to my usual tipsters, in this case, Keb and Helen. I may be a little busier these days but don’t worry, I’ll never forget Jennifer.