by Ollie Reed Jr. Tribune Reporter
SOCORRO — Retitling the Torreon cabin killings case “Popcorn’s last Revenge,” defense attorney Stephen Aarons told a jury today that the shooter in the grisly deaths was not his client, Shaun Wilkins
In his opening statement, Aarons said that instead, Shawn “Popcorn” Popeleski shot does two young adults in a remote Manzano mountain cabin, using a gun owner by one of the victims to commit the crime.
Aarons said Ben Anaya Jr., 17, and his girlfriend, Cassandra Sedillo, 22, were killed because Popeleski was bitter about kicked out of an Albuquerque gang and partly blamed Anaya.
Aasons said Popeleski used Anaya’s 22-caliber gun to shoot Anaya and Sedillo as they lay in bed.
Aarons is representing defendant Wilkins, 20, of Albuquerque, one of four people arrested in the deaths of Anaya, Sedilla and her sons, Johnny Ray Garcia,4, and Mattheu Gene Garcia, 2. The boys starved in the cabin
See Torreon/A3
