Testimony begins in trial of LaBelle man accused of fatally shooting woman

When Collier County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Brian Cohen and fellow SWAT members moved through a trailer on the Seminole reservation one morning in early October 2014 to sweep the home following a standoff with a suspect, he came across a large, heavy storage bin in one of the bedrooms.

After unsuccessfully trying to move the bin with his foot to continue securing the home, Cohen used his flashlight to illuminate the object, he testified Monday in Collier Circuit Court in the murder trial of a LaBelle man accused of fatally shooting a woman.

“I observed a — what appeared to be — a human foot protruding from cloth that was wrapped in the tub itself,” Cohen told jurors.

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Authorities later identified the body found in the bin to be that of Dana Fegueroa, 29, and determined she had died from gunshot wounds.

Aaron Reyna, 27, is accused of killing her and faces a second-degree murder charge and two charges of shooting into a dwelling. Prosecutors say he admitted to authorities to shooting Fegueroa because she cursed at him and “disrespected” him.

If convicted, Reyna could face up to life in prison.

Reyna’s trial started Monday with jury selection, opening arguments and testimony from Fegueroa’s boyfriend at the time, Sheriff’s Office SWAT members who surrounded the home following the shooting and a crime scene investigator who processed the scene.

“This case is about respect,” Assistant State Attorney Jennifer Brown said during the state’s opening statements.

“Rather the lack of respect and the absolute disregard the defendant, Aaron Reyna, showed for Dana Fegueroa when he shot her four times in cold blood, ending her life 10 days shy of her 30th birthday.”

Brown said Fegueroa and her boyfriend Armando Garcia, returned home to their trailer in the 500 block of Dorothy Billie Jimmie Way the night of Oct. 5, 2014, after searching for a job in Immokalee. The pair had found one and needed a ride to it the next morning, she said, so they asked Reyna’s girlfriend, who was also staying at the home.

When Fegueroa’s request was ignored, she got mad, Garcia, her boyfriend, testified Monday.

“She got frustrated and started cussing,” he said.

Finally, Reyna answered Fegueroa and told her his girlfriend couldn’t give them a ride, Garcia said. Fegueroa got upset and cursed at him, he said.

The two returned to their bedroom, Garcia said, and when he left the bedroom after a few minutes he encountered Reyna “right in front of the door.”

“He pulled a gun out and started shooting,” Garcia said.

Reyna’s defense attorney James Zonas during his opening statement said his client didn’t have a motive to kill Fegueroa. Rather, Zonas said, Garcia had reason to do so because he and Fegueroa had fought that day.

Garcia denied Zonas’ allegation on the stand Monday and testified that their argument had not been serious.

Zonas characterized the trailer as a “party house” during his opening statements and said it is unclear what exactly unfolded after the killing.

“Right after Dana Fegueroa had died, they don’t know what happened,” he said. “And that’s going to be a very big part of this case.”

Police surrounded the home after the shooting and eventually were able to convince Reyna to leave the trailer and surrender after other occupants of the home had exited, authorities say.

Cohen and another SWAT member testified Monday that they heard a shot being fired in the home during the standoff. A Sheriff’s Office crime scene investigator testified she found firearms and ammunition in the home and observed what appeared to be bullet holes inside.

Reyna, who has been in custody since his October 2014 arrest, listened to the testimony Monday, dressed in a dark suit and white button-down shirt and sitting next to Zonas.

The trial is expected to last four days.