Deleted messages are the focus of the Jana Giron manslaughter trial

TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – Shortly after a fatal car crash in Oro Valley in 2019, police asked the woman accused of the crash if she had deleted evidence of her texting.

Jana Giron is charged with two counts of manslaughter, two counts of property damage, one count of endangerment and one count of falsifying evidence.

Giron is on trial for the car crash that killed 21-year-old Caitlin Festerling and 22-year-old Paul Garcia.

In a video shown in court Wednesday, Giron showed Oro Valley Police Department officers her phone before handing it over to them. Her defense reminded the court that she did so voluntarily.

ADDITIONAL COVERAGE

The accident occurred on Shannon Road north of Lambert Lane in Oro Valley.

Prosecutors allege Giron was texting for not hitting the brakes when Festerling stopped to make a left turn. Giron's Buick struck Festerling's Acura at 55 mph and was forced into the southbound lane, where a white GMC pickup truck struck the car from the side.

The jury was shown body-worn camera footage of an OVPD sergeant speaking to Giron in the moments after the accident. In that video, the sergeant asks her if she was texting at the time of the accident, and she says no.

The jury then watched a video taken five days later of Giron speaking to police at their headquarters, which shows that she received no text messages from the time of the accident.

And she gives the phone to the police. She is not under arrest during this conversation and her defense pointed out that she had not yet been informed that two people had died.

The trial will likely focus on how police found evidence that Giron was texting and distracted.

The trial began on Tuesday with jury selection and will continue on Thursday with further testimony.

Both sides agreed to tell the jury that Giron was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the accident.

Be sure to subscribe to 13 News’ YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold

All rights reserved.