Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Testimony continued Monday in the trial of two men accused of killing a couple and their two young children in Irondequoit, exactly two years after the family was found dead inside their Knapp Avenue home.
Julio Cesar Pimentel-Soriano and Luis Francisco Soriano face several charges, including first-degree murder, arson and more, in the killings of Fraime Ubaldo, his girlfriend, Marangely Moreno-Santiago, and their children, 4-year-old Evangeline and 2-year-old Sebastian.
Monday marked the third day of testimony in the double-jury trial, with several witnesses taking the stand.
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An Irondequoit police sergeant testified about phone records investigators reviewed from Ubaldo and Moreno-Santiago, which he said led investigators to a third person of interest.
Defense attorneys allege Moreno-Santiago was having an affair with that man and that the two had previously stolen cocaine together.
Jurors also heard from a friend of Luis Soriano, who testified that Soriano asked him to buy a plane ticket three days after the killings. The two later met, and a ticket to Puerto Rico was purchased.
The case is being heard by two separate juries, one for each defendant. Both men also have their own attorneys.
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“Truth be told, I think all parties involved would’ve preferred separate trials,” said Paul Guerrieri, Luis Soriano’s attorney. “However, this really came down to judicial economy and the decision that was made by the prosecution.”
Xiomara Weeks, the children’s godmother and Marangely’s best friend, shared a statement with 13WHAM reflecting on the pain of losing four people she considered family.
“Two years have passed, but time doesn’t erase the pain. You just learn how to carry it,” Weeks said.
Her full statement reads:
Honestly, I don’t even know what to say because two years later, the pain is still there. I lost my best friend, my two beautiful godchildren, and their father all four of them were a part of my life and a part of my heart. My best friend was someone who meant so much to me. One of the hardest things for me is wishing my best friend was here to meet my baby. She never got the chance to meet him, and that hurts in a way I can’t even explain. I truly believe God sent my baby to me at a time when I needed him most to save me, to give me a reason to keep going, and to help me heal from a pain I didn’t know how to carry. I wish my best friend could have held him, loved on him, and seen the little person he has become. I wish she could have been here for so many moments that she should have been here for. and my godchildren were not just my godchildren. I always made sure I treated them as my own anytime I did something for my daughters I birthed I did for Evangeline and any time I did for my sons i birthed I did for Sebastian it was no difference between children. Fraime was family to me too. He was my daughter’s godfather, and he had a special place in our lives. Losing him was another loss that is difficult to put into words. I think about all of them every single day their smiles, their personalities, the memories, the love, and all the moments we shared. I wish they were here so we could be making new memories instead of having to hold onto the old ones. Two years have passed, but time doesn’t erase the pain. You just learn how to carry it. And what I want people to remember is not only how they were taken from us, but who they were. They were loved. They had families who cherished them. They had people whose lives will never be the same without them. I will continue to say their names, tell their stories, and keep their memories alive. They will always be a part of me, a part of my children’s lives, and a part of our family. Two years later, we still love them. We still miss them. And we will never forget them.
The fourth day of testimony is scheduled for Tuesday. The trial is expected to last four to five weeks.