As the case against Aristh Rodriguez-Linares resumed Tuesday, the defendant was back on the stand questioned by Defense Attorney David Tarrell in a re-direct.
The Lexington man is charged with first-degree murder, a Class 1A felony; use of a firearm to commit a felony, a Class 1C felony; and unlawful/intentional discharge of a firearm, a Class 1D felony, in connection to the shooting death of Mykal Farinas Carballo on Jan. 21, 2025.
In the re-direct, Tarrell asked several clarifying questions from Rodriguez-Linares’ Monday testimony about the Jan. 21 incident. Rodriguez-Linares testified that he did not believe that Carballo was at his house until he heard a loud bang on his front door at 75 Cypress Lane.
Sandra Allen, state assistant attorney general, asked Rodriguez-Linares questions about a medical request he submitted March 1, 2025, where he asked to see a skin doctor, in her re-cross examination before the witness was excused from the stand.
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The state called Nemesys Solemzal-Veloz, Carballo’s wife, to the stand. Allen questioned Solemzal-Veloz on how she knew Rodriguez-Linares and what happened the night they were all at a pig farm.
Solemzal-Veloz testified that she never left the pig farm that night, though Rodriguez-Linares testified that she left with his truck and returned after a couple hours. Allen raised questions about her observations of the behavior between Carballo and Rodriguez-Linares and if there were any tensions between the two. “No, everything was fine,” Solemzal-Veloz said.
Solemzal-Veloz later testified that she never saw Carballo point a rifle at Rodriguez-Linares at the pig farm. She also testified that after they left the pig farm, they returned to Rodriguez-Linares’ home at 75 Cypress, where they stayed to eat until approximately 3-4 a.m.
Tarrell delivered cross-examinations questions of Solemzal-Veloz, questioning the rocky relationship between her and Carballo. Solemzal-Veloz testified that Carballo would occasionally sleep at other people’s homes when they were in a disagreement.
Tarrell questioned Solemzal-Veloz about the night her, Carballo and Rodriguez-Linares were at a pig farm on Dec. 30, 2024, asking if she ever left to do laundry, of which she said, “No.”
Solemzal-Veloz was questioned on her knowledge of Carballo using drugs, including marijuana, meth and cocaine. She answered all the questions the same, “No, I did not know,” adding that drugs were not allowed in her home with her three sons.
She testified that she did not see or speak to Carballo at all on the day of Jan. 21, 2025. Solemzal-Veloz said that Carballo was at their home, but she was at work from 1:30 to 11 p.m. “But you did not see him that day at all?” Tarrell questioned. “Correct,” Solemzal-Veloz said.
Allen proceeded with a re-direct of Solemzal-Veloz, questioning when and how old she was when she first met Carballo in Cuba, and if Carballo ever acted violent or aggressive toward her during their disagreements.
Tarrell brought into question if Solemzal-Veloz knew that Carballo was in prison while in Cuba. “I have no idea about that,” Solemzal-Veloz said. She testified that she had moved to the U.S. in 2003, and lost contact with Carballo before reconnecting when he later moved to the U.S.
After a short recess, the state then re-called Sgt. Edwin Perdomo to the stand. Perdomo, upon questioning, testified that on the night of Jan. 21, 2025, Rodriguez-Linares did not appear injured at his home at 75 Cypress or while being processed at the Lexington Police Department.
Perdomo testified that he also responded to an incident on Jan. 2, 2025, to 75 Cypress Lane, when Rodriguez-Linares had called. He recalled that Rodriguez-Linares did not tell him specifically who came to the house or that one of the men had a knife on him. “There was not a lot to go off of,” Perdomo said.
Tarrell questioned Perdomo during cross examination about the Jan. 2 call to Rodriguez-Linares’ home, asking if he received a request from the state to preserve the body cam footage from that night, of which Perdomo said he did not.
After excusing Perdomo from the stand, the court went into recess over the lunch hour. Perdomo returned to the stand before Tarrell stated he had no further questions.
The state also re-called Sgt. Dion Neumiller to the stand to testify on additional analysis from Monday and Tuesday morning testimony. Neumiller was called to complete scale diagrams at 75 Cypress Lane. Neumiller told the jurors that he used a 5-foot-9-inch avatar, a representation of the height of Rodriguez-Linares, to recreate the scene where Rodriguez-Linares testified he was hit by the car and projected forward to the porch of his home.
Neumiller told the jurors that with the avatar in a seated position on the ground, the travel patterns of the bullets were “inconsistent with a downward trajectory.” Neumiller added that the shooter would have had to clear the hood of the Monte Carlo. “I can’t say its impossible, but its improbable,” he said.
Allen called into question where the bullet casings were found scattered around, and if Neumiller believed that the shooter could be seated, “No, ma’am,” he answered.
Tarrell questioned Neumiller during cross-exam, asking if on his new analysis, if he could tell if the shooter was changing directions, of which he answered “no.”
Neumiller was also questioned on the angle the gun was held, if he could tell the stance of the shooter and if the bullet trajectory could have been from the shooter swinging his arm.
Allen questioned Neumiller in re-direct about the grouping of bullets on the windshield of the Monte Carlo, and how those were possible. “It was obvious aim,” Neumiller said. He added that the shots were towards the driver of the vehicle.
Tarrell asked Neumiller in re-cross, if the shell casing location could be pretty much anywhere. “Correct,” Neumiller said.
The state rested, and Neumiller was excused from the stand. Judge Chawnta M. Durham called for a recess until 9 a.m. Wednesday.
