The Orange County man on trial accused of helping kill a 19-year-old man in a witness-murder plot took the stand Tuesday in his own defense.
Emmanuel Wallace is charged with first-degree murder, accused of helping Bessman Okafor kill a witness to prevent him from testifying against Okafor.
Alex Zaldivar was shot and killed at his Ocoee home in 2012, one day before he was scheduled to testify against Okafor in a violent home invasion earlier that year.
In court Tuesday, Wallace told the judge he wanted to testify, and ended up on the stand for about 90 minutes.
Wallace told the court he never owned, had or was ever given a gun. He said he didn't remember much from the night Zaldivar was shot, adding none of the events that happened that night were planned.
Prosecutors said Wallace, Okafor and Donnell Godfrey broke into Zaldivar's home, killed him and shot two other people.
Godfrey was sentenced to life in prison in November. Okafor stood trial in 2013 for the earlier home invasion and received five concurrent life sentences. He is scheduled to stand trial later this year for Zaldivar's death, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Rafael Zaldivar, Alex's father, said he was shocked Wallace took the stand.
"It floored me. I couldn't believe it, because there is no way he could create that kind of story," Rafael Zaldivar said. "He remembered everything from what it seems after he saw the deposition and read the deposition, and saw the evidence after Oct. 13, then he put his story together, but prior to that he couldn't come up with a story."
Court is scheduled to reconvene at 9 a.m. Wednesday for closing arguments. Then, the case will go to a jury. Wallace faces life in prison if convicted.