Trial of Kenov Williams, accused of capital crime, begins

GUNTERSVILLE, Alabama (WAFF) – A Guntersville man is on trial for the “Taco Bell murder” that left two teenagers dead in September 2021.

Kenov Yenovi Williams, 26, is charged with capital murder after investigators say he shot and killed 19-year-old Elias Lopez and 17-year-old Enrique Alvardo in the parking lot of a Taco Bell.

Williams is representing himself in the capital murder trial.

Opening arguments and initial testimony began Wednesday morning. Prosecutors spent most of their opening arguments laying out exactly what happened the night of the shooting.

They described the night of the murder as a “trap.”

They said Williams and two accomplices, Nicholas Cuzzort and Morgan Young, conspired to rob Lopez that night in retaliation for Lopez stealing drugs from Williams.

The state said Williams lured Lopez to the restaurant on Gunter Avenue, where he got into Lopez's car with Lopez and Alvardo.

Surveillance footage showed Williams initially getting out of Lopez's car, but then getting back in. That's when he shot the two teenagers, prosecutors allege.

Lopez tried to flee, but prosecutors say Williams was shot in the back. However, Williams claims he did not shoot her and only returned to the car to get his wallet and keys.

Surveillance footage shows Williams getting into a car driven by co-defendants Cuzzort and Young. The car runs over Lopez before driving off.

Prosecutors questioned an eyewitness to the murders and showed them surveillance footage from the fast-food chain's parking lot.

Andrew Beach is the eyewitness interviewed by the state on Wednesday. He claims he stopped at Taco Bell after a late shift at work and parked his own vehicle next to Lopez.

Beach said he heard the gunshots but assumed it was Lopez's car backfiring. Beach claimed he turned around and saw Williams fighting with Lopez and Alvardo in the car and realized he heard gunshots. Beach said he drove to a safe location before calling 911.

The state then called a former acquaintance of Williams to the witness stand today, who said she was previously engaged to Morgan Young's brother.

The witness claimed she was near Williams and Young on the day of the murder and overheard Williams and Young conspiring to rob Lopez in retaliation for stealing marijuana vaping cartridges from Williams.

She even claimed that Young had asked her brother, the witnesses' fiancé, to take part in the robbery.

During cross-examination, Williams argued with the witness. She claimed she was upstairs during the exchange and asked how she could have heard anything.

The state also called Deputy Chief John East of the Guntersville Police Department to the stand. East was the lead investigator at the time of the murder.

East walked the jury through numerous pieces of evidence recovered by investigators, including dozens of bullet casings found scattered in the parking lot and in Lopez's car. East also says firearms were recovered from Williams' truck and the blue Nissan the three used to flee the scene and which later turned up at a nearby dentist's office.

Testimony will continue at 9 a.m. Thursday. Co-defendants Nicholas Cuzzort and Morgan Young are expected to take the stand.

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