Opening statements begin in trial against man accused in deadly Holyoke shooting

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - On Monday, a jury started hearing opening statements in the trial of one of the men accused in the 2023 shooting of a pregnant woman that led to the death of her child.

A confrontation outside a Holyoke market led to gunfire on Oct. 4, 2023. A stray bullet struck Saszkiana “Selena” Santana, who was riding a PVTA bus while eight months pregnant. Doctors delivered her son, Ezekiel, in an emergency procedure but he did not survive.

Kermith Alvarez is one of three men charged in the case. Another suspect, 33-year-old Johnluis Sanchez, was already sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison on a manslaughter charge and additional gun sentences.

Alvarez has pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, both the prosecution and the defense acknowledged the tragedy, but gave jurors different accounts of what happened.

In opening statements, the prosecution accused Alvarez of firing the bullet that led the Ezekiel’s death. They began by telling jurors what this month should have meant for the baby.

“Ezekiel Garcia should have just turned three years old in the first week of November,” they said. “Tragically, he never lived ... simply because his mother, Selena Santana, who was eight months pregnant at the time, decided to take a trip on a city bus.”

The prosecution also argued that Alvarez may have initially been defending himself, but continued shooting after the danger had passed.

The defense described something different. Alvarez’s attorney told jurors two men waited outside the market and attacked Alvarez when he came out and there was no other option but to defend himself.

“There was an attack. It was actually 50 seconds of waiting to attack, so they waited longer to attack him than the entire incident took,” the defense said. “They waited outside and you’ll see, when you see the market, you’re going to see that there’s nowhere to go.”

Jurors also heard from a Holyoke police officer who responded to the bus. He testified that Santana was panicked and wanted to get to the hospital immediately.

The judge reminded jurors that opening statements are not evidence and Alvarez is presumed innocent until proven guilty.