Defendant in double murder trial says daughter was victim of drug, sex trafficking

Dec. 2—CLAREMORE, Oklahoma — A Rogers County jury watched crucial video evidence Friday, Dec. 1, and heard from Manuel Quezada Jr., a 51-year-old Hispanic man charged with first-degree murder in the alleged gang-related slaying of two Black men.

Quezada is accused of shooting cousins Dejon Ross, 21, and Albert Thomas, 20, outside his Owasso home. He does not deny shooting the two men, but told jurors he did so in an attempt to save his youngest daughter from a drug- and sex-trafficking operation.

Ross and Thomas were transported after being shot to Tulsa hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. Rogers County Sheriff Investigator Chris Buck, another witness in the case, said he was asked to notify families of the victims' deaths.

Quezada, who moved from California to Oklahoma 27 years ago, said he is no longer an active gang member. He confirmed he shot Ross and Thomas, just as the video evidence from his own surveillance cameras show.

The defendant claims he used a gun he is licensed to carry when he acted in self-defense and in defense of his daughter and his family.

When asked why he shot Thomas, Quezada said, "I was in fear of my life."

When asked why he shot at Ross, he said, "I was in fear of my life, again."

He said he thought Thomas was there to pick up his daughter, Samantha Quezada.

"I had to get my daughter out of that vehicle," Quezada said. "I had tunnel vision. I wasn't trying to hurt anybody. They brought this to my house, ruined our lives and our daughter's life."

Jurors were twice asked to watch the video, which was rewound multiple times at one point to isolate the location from where the gunshots came. The footage captured by Quezada's property surveillance cameras has become central evidence for both prosecution and defense. It was shown twice during Friday's testimony.

Quezada, who waited for police to arrive after the fatal shooting, told the jury he initially hid the video in the attic because he "had concerns about police mishandling evidence, tampering or being lost."

Quezada denies any gang affiliation or activity in Oklahoma, though he readily admitted he had been a street gang member while growing up, "surrounded by gang members," in the city of Bell, a suburb of Los Angeles.

"We lived in a neighborhood with a high gang presence. My sisters were part of the gang. We were constantly surrounded by gang members," he said.

He explained how making the decision to be "jumped" into the gang at age 11 was a foregone conclusion. Later, he joined another city group called the Chanslor Street gang.

Referring to his concern about his daughter's relationship with Thomas, Quesada shared how his sister became involved with drug dealing and sex trafficking in California.

"Her pimp threw her from a second story," he said.

Quezada said he left the gang when the family came to Oklahoma in 1995-1996 to work at National Steak and Poultry. The business is now located in Owasso.

Photos of Quezada's two old gang tattoos were shared with the jury. Quezada said he has acquired no new tattoos after resettling in Oklahoma. He has not removed the tattoos because it is "too expensive and painful." Instead, he said, he wears shirts so the tattoos are not exposed.

"Oklahoma has been really good to me and my family," Quezada told the jury.

He is married to Angelica and they have a son Eddie, 32; daughter Nadine, 26; and youngest daughter Samantha, 24, along with his elderly father and his family.

Many were in the courtroom to hear Quezada, filling the benches on the left side of the room. Also in the courtroom was a smaller group of the victims' family members.

According to Quezada's testimony, it was his youngest daughter Samantha's relationship with Thomas and Ross that precipitated the 2019 fatal incident.

He testified his family had made a good life in Owasso. He shared how he had worked to advance in his work and career by earning at least eight work skill and technical certifications from Tulsa Tech. He also obtained his real estate license. He most recently had been working at Nordam and selling real estate part time with Chinowth and Cohen, Realtors.

Quezada had also applied with the state to be a medical marijuana distributor prior to the 2019 shootings.

Rich-Alexander Herrera, a real estate business associate of Quezada, was a character witness. Herrera said he has known Quezada for 27 years from the time they worked together at NSP. He described the defendant as a "hard worker" who spends time with his family and friends, likes to invest in real estate, go camping and restore vehicles.

Quezada said their lives began to change as Samantha's relationship with Thomas appeared to devolve. He believed she was using drugs, possibly being used as a drug trafficker and prostitute. He testified random packages had begun to arrive at their home, with one being addressed to Thomas' dog. He said Samantha quickly intercepted that package, called an Uber and left.

Quezada claimed he recognizes the signs of drug and sex trafficking from his previous life experience. He said Thomas and Ross drove two different "luxury cars," using paper tags that could be "changed out" by the car dealer. A Camaro and Mercedes were mentioned in other testimony.

At one point, his voice breaking, Quezada said he and his wife became more concerned early in 2019 as Samantha continued to withdraw from family and friends, started losing weight, and then began to take weeks-long trips out of state.

Because Samantha was of age, Quezada said, they were unable to take legal action to retrieve her from California. Still, at one point, his daughter called home, requesting help. He said they sent Samantha money for clothes, food and medical care, but had to send the money to Thomas.

On Sept. 5, 2019, the Quezadas learned Samantha had been arrested for prostitution in California.

"My heart was broken. We were trying to figure a plan to get her home. We prayed for answers," Quezada said. "Sam did not realize her life was in danger."

On Sept. 10, 2019, the Quezadas received a second call, and learned Samantha had been arrested for drug trafficking.

When she did finally come home, Quezada said, they were glad.

"We didn't want to chase her away," he said, adding that she continued to "date Albert."

One week before the shooting, Quezada testified, Samantha told her mother that she had been raped.

"I tried to get her into therapy. Angie took her to the doctor for an STD," he said.

The day of the shooting, Quezada said, started out "great."

"We invited Sam to meet us at Buffalo Wild Wings. We were happy to her have her back," he said.

But Samantha did not show for the meal.

A short time later, two men lay dying in front of the Quezada's home, and he was arrested on first-degree murder charges.

Members of the jury, which has been empaneled since Nov. 13, were observed passing around a stuffed animal that some took the time to pet, following the Quezada's testimony and the video replay.

Judge Stephen Pazzo released the jury for the weekend, instructing them to leave their notebooks in the courtroom, and to avoid watching or reading any news coverage or discuss the trial. They, along with the prosecution and defense teams, the defendant's and victims' families, return Monday around 9 a.m. to District Courtroom IV, Rogers County Courthouse, downtown Claremore.

Quezada's defense team consists of attorneys Shannon McMurray and Whitney Mauldin. District Attorney Matt Ballard leads the prosecution team.

Others who took the witness stand Friday included forensic investigator Everett Baxter Jr.; Kyle Baker, a former supervisor of the Rogers County Sheriff's Office criminal investigation unit; and Chris Buck, an RCSO investigator who handles evidence recovery and forensic analysis of digital devices.

Baxter confirmed Samantha had given inaccurate grand jury testimony in which she stated she was still in the car with Thomas when her father shot Ross. But video footage tells a different story. Baxter also confirmed he had been paid between $6,000 and $9,000 for previous work for the District Attorney's Office in a Mayes County case.

The defense attorney questioned Baxter about his knowledge of Oklahoma laws regarding defense of others. He said couldn't recall off the top of his head.

Investigator Buck testified he had recovered a bullet fragment from the ambulance that conveyed one of the victims to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa. The other victim was taken to St. Francis Hospital.

Buck also told the jury "some [phones] have been examined." He said he had conducted an analysis of Samantha's phone but could not recall if he had looked at Angelica's phone, and confirmed he had not looked at the father's phone. Due to a sidebar, it was unclear whether Thomas' phone has been accessed. Ross' phone is password protected and has not been accessed.

Buck was the officer who informed the Thomas and Ross families of the victims' deaths.