UPDATE: Trial for the murder of Taco Land owner, employee begins

MySA.com: Metro | State

Web Posted: 02/23/2007 12:52 PM CST



Guillermo Contreras

Express-News Staff Writer



Trial began Friday for one of two men accused of killing Taco Land owner Ramiro “Ram” Ayala and one of his employees during a robbery in which another club worker was wounded. Joseph Gamboa, identified in testimony today as the gunman, pleaded not guilty to charges of capital murder and attempted capital murder. The charges resulted from the June 2005 robbery in which Ayala, 72, and Douglas Morgan, 53, were mortally wounded, and the nonfatal shooting of bartender Denise Koger, then 41. Assistant Bexar County District Attorney Loretta Hewitt told jurors in opening arguments that the prosecution will show Gamboa, then 22, acted with Jose Najera, then 29, in the robbery. The robbery took place overnight between June 23 and June 24, 2005, shortly after the San Antonio Spurs had captured their third NBA title. Taco Land, which was widely known as a mainstay of the local underground music scene, opened for business late and only two customers were in the bar when Gamboa and Najera went there, Hewitt said. Koger, who worked at Taco Land for three years, testified that the men had not been in the establishment before. Koger also testified that Gamboa shot Ayala, and then shot Morgan. At the urging of another man later identified as Najera, Koger testified, Gamboa then made her open the cash register, grabbed the money in it and shot her in the back after forcing her to get more money she had put in a drawer nearby. “I thought it was a senseless shooting because they were getting everything they wanted,” Koger testified. “Why were they shooting us all?” Ayala died before reaching a local hospital, Morgan died from his injuries 19 days later and Koger spent 10 days in the hospital recovering from the bullet that hit her liver. Gamboa’s lawyers, Patrick Hancock and Michael Ugarte, did not make opening arguments to the jury. Testimony continues this afternoon and next week in the courtroom of 379th District Judge Bert Richardson. Najera, who also faces two charges of capital murder and one charge of attempted capital murder, is awaiting trial.