Illegal Immigrant on Trial for Murder
May 24, 2006 10:53 AM EDT

North Carolina

MAY 23, 2006 -- A man is on trial in Columbus County for a crime he says he doesn't remember committing.

Prosecutors called on several witnesses Tuesday in the murder trial of Jose Jesus Garcia Lopez. Lopez, 34, is charged with second degree murder.

Prosecutors say he was drunk when he slammed into 20-year-old Natalie Housand's car, killing her instantly. That accident occurred in December of 2004 on Highway 904.

A nurse testified that she examined Lopez after the accident. When she got close to him, she said the smell of alcohol was overwhelming.

Lopez is expected to take the stand in his own defense, using an interpreter. Lopez is an illegal immigrant.
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