State rests its case in day 2 of George Alvarez trial

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It was an emotional last hour of testimony on day two of the high profile intoxication manslaughter trial of George Alvarez.

On May 7, 2023, Alvarez struck 18 people with his car, killing eight of them outside of the Ozanam Center.

Day two of the testimony was all about the experts, but the last two witnesses are arguably the most compelling — they are two of the 10 surviving victims.

While the judge does not allow us to record audio, we did get footage of when Gabriel Jose Gallardo Contreras walked into the courtroom on his prosthetic leg.

The impact of the crash severed his left leg and today he took off the prosthetic to show the jurors what's left of his limb.

When that happened, there was a gasp from the people who were sitting behind us.

Expert testimony today came from Doctor Elizabeth Miller, who conducted autopsies on the eight people killed.

Hector Gomez, who inspected the vehicle after the crash, testified that there were no mechanical problems with the brakes, steering or gas pedal of Alvarez's 2007 Range Rover.

The toxicologist, Eduardo Padilla, testified there was no alcohol in Alvarez's system. However, there was metabolized cocaine.

The state rested its case after Contreras testified.

Tomorrow on day three, it's the defenses turn.

George Alvarez's attorney Cesar De Leon is expected to call up three witnesses with closing arguments on Friday.

It is unclear if Alvarez will testify.

The trial resumes tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.