The capital murder trial for a woman accused of hiring a hit man to kill her ex's new girlfriend in an ambush made to look like a robbery began Monday.
Brenda Delgado, 36, faces life in prison if convicted for the 2015 slaying of 35-year-old Dr. Kendra Hatcher, a Dallas dentist who was killed in an Uptown parking garage Sept. 2, 2015.
Opening statements began Monday morning with jurors hearing emotional testimony from Bonnie Jameson, Hatcher's mother.
"She grew up in small town. She graduated with full honors, a salutatorian, was on the volleyball team ... just very accomplished. She went to DePaul University, but eventually fell in love with Dallas," Jameson told the court.
Jameson said it's been "three and a half years of hell ever since" the night she found out her daughter had been shot in the head in the parking garage of her apartment building.
"When I found out, I just screamed, 'What do you mean Kendra was shot?' Then, they told me she didn't make it," Jameson said.
After Jameson left the stand, several jurors began to wipe away tears.
Capital murder trial begins for Brenda Delgado, accused of orchestrating the killing of Dallas dentist Kendra Hatcher. Listening to Hatcher mother testify and fighting back tears as she she talks about her daughter @NBCDFW https://t.co/5ThNgHc72k
— Courtney Gilmore (@CourtneyNBC5) June 3, 2019
Prosecutors allege Delgado hired a hit man, Kristopher Love, to rob and kill Hatcher in the parking lot of her Dallas apartment. Prosecutors described Delgado as being the jealous ex-girlfriend of Hatcher's boyfriend, Ricardo Paniagua.
According to prosecutors, Delgado was obsessed with Paniagua's whereabouts, and would cyber-stalk him. A friend of Delgado's testified Monday that she had access to her ex's bank accounts, Gmail account and home and that she had a different phone that she used to monitor his location.
During the first day of the trial, Jameson, along with the paramedic and Dallas police officer that initially responded to the scene of the murder, took the stand. Jurors watched body camera footage from Dallas Police Officer Michael Walsh.
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"When I approached her car I could see her on the ground. There was blood coming from her wound," said Walsh.
Prosecutors also called Moses Martinez, Delgado's cousin, to testify. On the stand he described Delgado as depressed and sad when spoke about her ex-boyfriend.
"Whenever she would talk about Ricky she would get upset," said Martinez.
He later testified that Delgado offered to pay him if he would scare Hatcher, and "hit her with a bat."
Paniagua testified Monday that though he and Delgado broke up for good in February 2015, he did stay in touch with her and helped her with car repairs. The night Hatcher was killed Paniagua said he texted Delgado. The next morning she texted back, saying she was sorry and offered to bring him groceries.
Paniagua testified he and his family stopped communicating with Delgado when they saw video of the getaway driver because the woman looked like Delgado.
The first day of the trial ended at about 3 p.m. The trial will resume Tuesday at 8:45 a.m.
The alleged getaway driver Crystal Cortes is expected to testify.
Cortes agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors in exchange for her truthful testimony against Love, who was previously convicted of pulling the trigger, and Delgado in exchange for a lighter sentence.
Love was convicted of capital murder last October and was sentenced to death row.
A live stream of the trial will be available on NBCDFW.com.
Delgado later fled to Mexico, before she was arrested and brought back in 2016. She spent a brief period of time on the FBI's Top 10 Most Wanted list.
If found guilty, Delgado will automatically be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She could not face the death penalty as part of an extradition agreement with Mexico.
NBC 5's Courtney Gilmore and Maria Guerrero contributed to this report.
