A bounce house, ongoing conflict with neighbor at center of Austin woman's murder trial
The trial against an Austin woman accused of killing a man — alleging he stole a bounce house from her on Halloween in 2021 — began on Wednesday.
Nora Lopez, 33, is accused of murdering 52-year-old James Traylor on Nov. 1, 2021, at her East Austin home at 8406 Garcreek Circle.
Prosecutors say Lopez shot Traylor three times, once in the head and twice in the back. Lopez believed Traylor had stolen a Spider-Man bounce house she rented for the neighborhood children to use on Halloween. Traylor denied stealing it, and prosecutors said the bounce house was picked up overnight by the same people who dropped it off.
Defense lawyers representing Lopez said Traylor regularly harassed Lopez, to the point a friend said Lopez was growing “so desperate” to leave the neighborhood.
Prosecution, defense make opening arguments
To celebrate Halloween, Lopez decided to get a bounce house for her two children and other neighborhood children to enjoy, as her neighborhood was too unsafe for trick-or-treating, defense lawyer Laurie Drymalla said in her opening statement.
Lopez lives off Garcreek Circle, which Drymalla said is in an area of East Austin with high crime, drug use and homelessness.
The bounce house was rented and brought by two people, who helped Lopez set it up, state prosecutor Rick Jones said.
In his opening argument, Jones said the bounce house wasn’t stolen but was picked up by those same two people that night. Jones added that Lopez had asked the people to pick the bounce house up that night and not wait until the morning.
When Lopez woke up, the bounce house was gone. She called 911 at 8:05 a.m., Jones said, and reported it stolen. The 911 operator told Lopez to make a report with 311, as it was not a life-threatening emergency. Lopez then told the operator, “You know what … if something happens, don’t come back to my house,” according to Jones.
Drymalla said in her opening arguments that Lopez was “frantic” on the phone and asked for police to be sent to her home, which wouldn’t happen if she called 311.
At some point, Traylor, Lopez and a neighbor, Arlan Byrd, convened, Jones said. During this meeting, Lopez insisted that Traylor had stolen the bounce house, noting that she saw him on her security camera footage. Traylor “denied it,” adding that it was a "two-person job," Jones said. All three left, with Lopez and Byrd returning to their homes.
Moments later, Byrd went outside and saw Lopez walking behind Traylor with a gun and then firing at the man. Traylor turned around, and Lopez fired another shot that hit him in the head, Jones said. Lopez then walked up to Traylor, who was lying in weeds, and shot him again, Jones said.
Traylor’s family members could be seen in the courtroom shaking their heads and wiping away tears during the discussion of how he was killed.
The shooting happened within five minutes of when Lopez called 911 to report the bounce house stolen, Jones said.
In her opening statements, Drymalla said Lopez “was afraid” of Traylor.
Traylor threatened Lopez previously by stealing from her, Drymalla said, and by allegedly setting a fire in her yard that led up to her door. Drymalla said Traylor had a reputation for setting fires in the area.
Drymalla told jurors the case is “more complicated” than prosecutors made it seem, noting that Lopez’s mental health troubles from a “traumatic” childhood also led to her reaction. Drymalla added that there were missteps, missed opportunities for evidence collection, a rushed investigation, and critical evidence overlooked and ignored.
She asked that jurors “keep an open mind” and an “eye toward justice.”
Lopez faces a murder charge, a first-degree felony that could lead to anywhere from five years to life in prison and a fine of up to $10,000 fine if she’s found guilty.
The trial is expected to last into next week.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Austin woman on trial for murder, says victim had stolen bounce house
