MEDFORD, Ore. – A Medford road rage trial is beginning to wrap up. Raleigh Rodrigues, 68 s on trial for manslaughter in the death of motorcyclist Kevin Mayo.
The trial took a turn Thursday as Rodrigues, the defendant took the stand. He testified that he calmly flipped victim Kevin Mayo off, but didn’t think swerving into Mayo’s lane would lead to his death.
The case the prosecution has made from the beginning of this week’s trial is that Rodrigues deliberately swerved into Mayo causing the deadly crash. It happened in December of 2017 on I-5 in Medford. Defense lawyers claim Mayo caused his own death by driving recklessly.
Rodrigues spent over an hour on the stand Thursday. It’s rare for defendants in criminal cases to do so.
“I was sad, worried. I couldn’t believe all of this was happening to me. I couldn’t believe the man was dead. I’ve never been in that situation before,” said Rodrigues.
The jury also heard from expert witnesses Thursday.
Though the trial was expected to wrap up, it appears it will continue Friday.
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