More of Austin Valdez Retrial

A turn of events on the fourth day of Austin Valdez’s retrial in Iowa County, as Valdez himself took the stand a day earlier than planned. Valdez chronicled his relationship with stepfather Robin Reeson of Ridgeway, and explained the moments leading up to his death. Valdez is accused of shooting and killing Reeson in March 2018. This marks Valdez’s second trial in the case. A first trial, where he faced first degree reckless homicide charges, ended in a mistrial. Valdez now faces first degree intentional homicide charges. Valdez said Reeson was coming at him and he decided to stand his ground. While speaking on the stand, Valdez stated that he believed Reeson would physically harm both him and his mother, after Reeson came home drunk. Valdez says Reeson had a history of making violent threats, most recently one week before his death. The jury also heard from Valdez’s former stepfather William Hamilton, who told the prosecution he sleeps with a loaded gun in his bedroom, and taught Valdez to do the same thing. Meanwhile, the state called multiple witnesses to the stand who say Robin Reeson was acting soundly in the hours leading up to his death. On Wednesday, Valdez only gave the first part of his testimony. He’s expected to take the stand again on the fifth day of his retrial.