Suspect charged with killing ex-girlfriend's fiancé says he has undiagnosed autism

SAN DIEGO, Calif (KGTV) — Accused killer Jesse Alvarez took the stand in his homicide trial Wednesday, testifying that he has lengthy suffered from a type of undiagnosed psychological dysfunction.

Alvarez is on trial for murdering Mario Fierro at his North Park dwelling in 2021. Fierro was a Cathedral Catholic Excessive College instructor just lately engaged to fellow Cathedral instructor Amy Gembara, Alvarez’s ex-girlfriend.

In his testimony, Alvarez mentioned his undiagnosed autism contributed to his obsession along with his ex-girlfriend and his incapacity to take a touch that his ex-girlfriend needed him to go away.

“It was obvious from a younger age, I’ve some sort of psychological incapacity. I endure from some type of autism dysfunction,” Alvarez informed the jury in a weird and prolonged testimony.

His solutions have been generally so lengthy that the choose and Alvarez’s protection legal professional each requested him to cease telling tales about his outdated relationship and ex-girlfriend and easily reply the query being requested.

Alvarez’s solutions issue into his protection’s case, that he doesn’t perceive social conditions. Alvarez’s legal professional says Alvarez was camped exterior of the previous instructor’s dwelling however wasn’t planning to shoot him. Alvarez mentioned he was there to satisfy the person, however argued Fierro began hitting him first, and the capturing was in self-defense.

“I am simply sort of in my very own world,” Alvarez informed jurors.

Regardless of a safety order being issued in opposition to him, Alvarez says he continued to attempt to contact Gembara, together with taking a job as a meals service employee on the faculty.

“I could not shake out the will I nonetheless needed to be together with her,” he mentioned. “To speak together with her, to assist her. I felt sort of betrayed.” Alvarez continued, “I obtained sort of obsessed, sort of like an (obsessive compulsive dysfunction) or one thing.”

Prosecutors allege the killing was premeditated after Alvarez realized in a Fb publish from the college that his ex-girlfriend was getting engaged.

“There was this publish asserting their engagement, and yeah, I used to be tremendous shocked,” Alvarez mentioned.

A criminal offense analyst testified in courtroom on Wednesday that earlier than the capturing, Alvarez searched on Google ” kill your ex’s fiance” and “in California are you able to shoot somebody attempting to rob you?”

Nonetheless, Wednesday’s testimony centered on proving that Alvarez is book-smart however struggles to know social conditions. His protection group hopes to point out that is why he was there within the first place.

“I could not take the trace. It simply went over my head,” Alvarez mentioned.

Alvarez is anticipated to proceed testifying on Thursday.