Witness testifies Hector Rodriguez put a hit out on her after he helped kill teens

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Testimony continued Friday in the case against Hector Rodriguez, who is on trial on charges he killed two Winter Park High School students and burned their bodies along the Cady Way Trail.

On Friday, the jury saw surveillance video of Rodriguez and Jesse Davis, who already pleaded guilty and was sentenced for killing Nicholas Presha, 16, and Jeremy Stewart, 18.

Davis is already serving a life sentence in prison. After his sentencing, he told authorities Rodriguez had nothing to do with the killings.

Rodriguez claims Davis dropped him off before the killings, but prosecutors said Rodriguez was in on the plan.

Jurors heard more disturbing testimony about the torture the teenagers suffered hours before they were murdered execution-style.

Angela Patterson, Davis' ex-girlfriend, said she lied to investigators repeatedly at first because she feared for her life after Rodriguez allegedly put a hit out on her.

Patterson said she eventually told investigators that the first thing she saw after loud voices woke her up were two boys lying facedown on the floor, naked.

She said both Rodriguez and Davis had guns and that blood was coming from Stewart's face.

"Nicholas wasn't saying anything," said Patterson. "I don't think I heard him say a word. Jeremy was begging, 'Let him go.' He was just pretty much begging for his life. Hector Rodriguez was saying, 'It's OK. Everything will be all right."

Patterson said she never called 911 because she was too afraid to and that she never called law enforcement afterward for the same reason.

The defense tried to portray her as a liar after she testified that she eventually told investigators what she knew because she had kids and felt somebody needed to speak for the victims.

Jury members also heard from witness Isabel Vinas, who said she heard some of what happened the night the teens were shot and killed.

Vinas was with her boyfriend when they stopped by Davis' house to buy drugs the night of the deaths. She said she was panic-stricken when she heard what was going on inside the house.

"I had no idea what to do," she said.

Vinas said she overheard Rodriguez whisper to her boyfriend outside that he and Davis were planning to rob the teenagers. She testified that she waited outside as everyone else went into Davis' house.

Vinas said she heard a lot of yelling and screaming to "get down and get naked," so she called a friend because she was scared.

Vinas said her boyfriend came out soon after that and they took off but never called 911.

Jurors also saw video of Davis filling a gas can that prosecutors said he and Rodriguez used to burn the teens' bodies.

WFTV