Testimony began Monday in the intoxication manslaughter trial of former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Josh Brent, who was driving the car that overturned and killed teammate Jerry Brown Jr. in December of 2012.
A jury of 10 women and two men heard opening statements, then were shown the dashcam video of police officers who arrived at the scene.
The video shows Brent standing over Brown as they first come upon the accident. Brent tells the officers that he had just pulled Brown from the car, which was on fire.
According to tweets from Dallas Morning News court reporters, the video shows Brent telling officers he had been drinking that night. âI got a buzz going,â Brent is heard saying.
Brent is also seen taking field sobriety tests. He is shown having to steady himself while walking a straight line and also skipping some letters when asked to recite the alphabet.
Brent repeatedly asked officers if he could go home, but instead is handcuffed and taken into custody to have blood drawn.
Tests showed Brent to have a blood alcohol content of .18, well above the legal limit of .08. Brentâs defense immediately began questioning the blood evidence, from the type of vials used to conflicting times of the blood draw on separate reports.
Two Irving police officers testified on Monday.
Prosecutors told WFAA-TV reporter Rebecca Lopez that some Dallas Cowboys could be called to testify Tuesday. Barry Church and Danny McCray were with Brent the night of the crash.
If convicted, Brent, who has a previous DWI conviction, could receive a sentence of up to 20 years.
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
