Thread by @KGETnews

The trial of Trezell and Jacqueline West is back in session. This is the 18th day of trial for the couple, charged with murder and other offenses in the deaths of Orrin and Orson West, who authorities say died 3 months before the Wests reported them missing. #WestsTrial

Detective Thomas Hernandez is back on the stand under cross-examination by Timothy Hennessy, lead attorney for Trezell West. He is discussing receiving a tip from a woman who says she saw the boys in Arlington, Texas. #WestsTrial

An address and license plate was given, Hernandez said. An Arlington man testified last week the woman was mistaken, the children are his own biological children. #WestsTrial

Hennessy is asking if another man, not the one who testified, also lived at that address. Hernandez said he would have to review the report. #WestsTrial

The detective is reviewing the report. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said an investigator looked into the matter and it was determined the children in question were not Orrin and Orson. #WestsTrial

Hennessy is continuing to ask about a Victor Rodriguez, another man who lived at the Arlington address. #WestsTrial

Prosecutor Eric Smith has objected, and the judge said there is no info Rodriguez lived at the address, but was associated with it through the tip made to the FBI. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he doesn't know what Rodriguez looks like. Hennessy asked about Rodriguez being investigated for drug smuggling and the judge sustained an objection and struck the question from the record. A sidebar is being held. #WestsTrial

Back from sidebar. Hennessy is asking about a tip from a Hector Rodriguez that led to a home being checked for the boys. Detective Hernandez said he doesn't recall the name but knows a home was checked. #WestsTrial

Hennessy asked if the person who made the tip said they had more info but were afraid of physical harm. Hernandez reviewed the tip. The judge reminded the jury this info is only being allowed for them to consider what Hernandez did in relation to the tips. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he followed up on the tip but did not contact the tipster. He said when it came to tips there were houses, vehicles and leads they looked in. In this case police went to the house and didn't find Orrin or Orson. #WestsTrial

Hennessy finished questioning Hernandez and now Alekxia Torres Stallings, lead counsel for Jacqueline West, will question him. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he read the reports of Cal City Officer Brian Hansen but did not see the videos of their interviews until they were played in court. #WestsTrial

On Dec. 29, 2020, took part in a welfare check at Maria Martinez's home, where Jacqueline and Trezell were living at the time. Martinez is Jacqueline's mother and had foster children.#WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked about 2 refrigerators at Maria Martinez's apartment. Hernandez said he doesn't recall their being 2 refrigerators and said the apartment wasn't searched. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said they were at Maria Martinez's home for about an hour. He said he recalls Jacqueline West cried. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is asking about footage from different cameras in December. He said he didn't review footage to see the Wests traveling back and forth on Dec. 5 when they visited Maria Martinez on her birthday. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings has moved into evidence a Taco Bell receipt from Dec. 8, 2020. She asked if they checked the video footage to see the comings and goings of the Wests on that date. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said they did not. #WestsTrial

Moving to the interview of the Wests' eldest child, Hernandez said he was present for the boy's third interview. He doesn't know what info was provided to Sunya Barton, the social worker who interviewed the child. #WestsTrial

An updated police report written by Hernandez and other detectives runs to 2,000 pages. Since then, during the trial, supplemental reports have been written, Hernandez said. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he did not write a report about the first report made by the eldest child to his resource parent. He said he found out that info by second- or third-hand. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is attempting to show the eldest child may have seen certain things about the case online or on the news, or been told them. #WestsTrial

She has displayed a photo showing Hernandez with the boy's resource parent and the boy as they tried to get passwords for his parents' phones. #WestsTrial

The boys no longer live with that resource parent, they have lived with another woman since the end of January 2021. Hernandez said he went to that residence, too, to check up on the children. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked Hernandez if he was aware the eldest child said the first resource parent told him the boys were dead. She said the boy told his grandmother she had said that. A hearsay objection was sustained. #WestsTrial

Hernandez is reviewing a report to see if the woman's name is mentioned. He said she was mentioned during a pretext call with one of the other West children. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he wasn't present when the children testified before the grand jury, and doesn't know if their resource parent was present. #WestsTrial

Moving back to the apartment of Jacqueline West's mother, Hernandez reviewed photos and said there are 2 refrigerators there. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he contacted the neighbor who lived behind the Wests. Torres Stallings asked if he recalls her telling him the search parties took place a couple days after she saw a man in a red sweater and ski mask. He said he doesn't recall that. #WestsTrial

After reviewing a transcript, Hernandez said that's correct. #WestsTrial

Hernandez said he has read the report of an interview with Perla Martinez, Jacqueline West's sister. He said he did not review records to see if there was a call made on Dec. 18, 2020. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings asked Hernandez if he came across a journal for Jacqueline. He said he went through it. It's from 2021. She asked if he was aware Orson and Orrin's birthday were in the planner. A hearsay objection was sustained. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings showed him copies of pages from the journal but he said they don't refresh his memory as to the birth dates of Orrin and Orson. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings has moved on to the interview on July 1, 2021, in which Hernandez questioned Jacqueline West. #WestsTrial

A pest control person told police he saw "6 or 7" children in the home when he went there, Hernandez said. He said he still focused on the Wests as behind the disappearance of Orrin and Orson. #WestsTrial

Torres Stallings is referring Hernandez to surveillance footage of the Wests' home on Dec. 19, 2020, the same day they dropped off their four oldest children in Bakersfield. #WestsTrial

She played a video of 2 people walking up the street who stop at an intersection by the Wests' home. Hernandez said those people were never identified. #WestsTrial

"You don't know what they were doing, is that fair to say?" Torres Stalling asked.
"Walking," Hernandez said. #WestsTrial

There was an objection to showing a second video and Judge Charles R. Brehmer called a sidebar. #WestsTrial

The judge and attorneys came back and a 15-minute break was announced. #WestsTrial