Six witnesses, including the teachers and relatives of the Willacy County teen who prosecutors say died after he was abused, testified Thursday in the trial of the man charged in his death.

Ruben Gonzalez is one of three people who were each indicted in 2022 on a murder charge and four counts of injury to a child in connection with the death of 13-year-old Jesse Harrison Jr.

The teen died in January 2021 after he was hospitalized with breathing complications, according to previous reports.

Thursday marked the third day of the trial against Gonzalez, who was identified as the boyfriend of Harrison’s grandmother.

PREVIOUS TRIAL COVERAGE:
Victim’s siblings testify in murder trial of man accused in death of Willacy County teen
Jurors presented with photos of teen victim in Willacy County murder investigation

The first person on the stand was Janette Spear, the forensic nurse who examined Harrison’s body the day he was rushed to the hospital. Spear told the jury she could not say if the injuries on Harrison’s body were a result of an assault.

Three educators took the stand, and said they’ve known Harrison since elementary school. They all described the teen as always being hungry and asking for food. Two of them said they made reports to Texas Child Protective Services.

A special education teacher who was with Harrison from second to fifth grade described him as a “sweet kid, independent and happy to be at school.”

The special education teacher said Harrison was starting to get sunken eyes, had dirty clothes and looked as if he wasn’t taken care of.

Two of the educators said they also noticed bruising on his body.

The educators were emotional, and started choking up as they described the day they found out Harrison died. One of the educators said she felt like she failed Harrison because she felt she didn’t do enough to save him. 

Harrison’s older cousin also took the stand, and said he’d often visit Harrison at the home he lived in with his grandma, mother, and three siblings.

The jury was shown video of an interview between that cousin and investigators from the Willacy County Sheriff’s Office. The video showed the cousin telling investigators that he witnessed Harrison’s younger brother hitting the victim after Gonzalez told him to, and was described as a “punching bag.”

The cousin said Harrison would get yelled at if he was caught eating, and he was picked on by his grandma — Antonia Villarreal Gonzalez —and Ruben Gonzalez.

In the video, the cousin said he remembered Harrison being so skinny his bones were visible. 

On the stand, the cousin was asked to talk about the days he described in the video, but he said he didn’t recall them.

Harrison’s dad also took the stand before jurors were sent home.

Sabrina Loredo — the boy’s mother —and Antonia Villarreal Gonzalez are also charged in Harrison’s death. Their trial is set to start in October.

Testimony in Gonzalez’s trial will continue Friday.