A Dallas County judge was seen making disparaging remarks about a defendant's guilt on a courtroom livestream on Wednesday and declared a mistrial in a murder case, according to footage obtained and reviewed by authorities. I made it. Dallas Morning News.
Judge Nancy Mulder news On Wednesday, she recused herself from two pending lawsuits against Jorge Esparza over comments she made on Tuesday, the first day of his trial.
Esparza is accused of stalking a woman and fatally shooting 27-year-old Ricardo Medina-Madris in 2020. The case will be tried before a new judge and jury, and if convicted, Esparza could face life in prison.
Mr. Mulder, president of the 6th Criminal District Court, said in a telephone interview that he had personally apologized to Mr. Esparza's attorney and, through his attorney, “everyone involved.”
“I deeply regret the comments I made in what appeared to be a private conversation with court staff in an empty courtroom,” Mulder said in a statement. He said: “I shouldn't have said what I did and I'm really sorry.
“I sincerely hope that my comments do not adversely affect the public’s confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the local judiciary.”
A spokesperson for the Dallas County District Attorney's Office and Esparza's attorney declined to comment.
Mulder often livestreams high-profile trials taking place in his courtroom. Most recently, YouTube broadcast the week-long trial of Lisa Dykes, who was found guilty of murdering 23-year-old Maricela Botero Valadez. She plans to continue experimenting with live streaming, she said.
Prosecutors played Esparza's interrogation by police during the trial Tuesday afternoon, according to a video that has since been deleted from Mulder's YouTube account. Esparza reportedly suffered a panic attack in court shortly after testimony began, according to KXAS-TV (NBC5).
Judge Mulder dismissed the jury at about 5:10 p.m. and met with attorneys outside the courtroom. Just after 5:30 p.m., Judge Mulder returned to the courtroom and took his seat in the judge's chair.
“I don't think he can handle the crime he committed,” the unidentified man said off camera, adding that he believed Esparza needed to be put on suicide watch.
“Oh, I don't know…I think he's pissed that he got caught,” Mulder said. “I think he's crying for himself because he knows he's going to be in prison for a long time.”
In a since-deleted video, the man told Mulder that Esparza killed Medina-Madris “for no reason,” but Mulder said, “He wanted to show her he was a man. “Yes,” he answered.
Investigators discovered that Medina-Madris had been on a date with a woman before the shooting, and the woman told police that Esparza had been stalking her, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
According to the indictment, Esparza followed the woman and sent her several disturbing text messages in which he “articulated homicidal ideation” about men she dated and likened himself to a television character who stalks and kills women.
Mulder also criticized his lawyers in the video for not following procedures when admitting evidence.
“Unfortunately, it's really frustrating because no one is following the law,” Mulder said. She lowered her voice and added: “… We all know he will be convicted and serve a long prison term, but that doesn't mean we can get away with doing nothing. Steps have to be taken.”
The livestream ended abruptly after Mulder said, “Oh, it's still streaming.”
Mulder, a Democrat, is running for a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in November.
Asked if he thought the withdrawal would affect his campaign, Mulder said: news She understands that all cases before the Court of Appeals must be considered honestly and fairly.
“Having worked on the front lines as a criminal judge has given me a deeper understanding of how difficult a job it is and will give me a more compassionate perspective from the bench of the Court of Appeal. ” she said.
Staff writer Kelli Smith contributed to this report.
