Explosive Antonio Santiago murder trial underway in Georgia

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MARIETTA, Ga – In what is already proving to be a highly emotive trial, the half-sister of slain toddler Antonio Santiago testified on Wednesday that her mother’s story did not add up.
Ashley Glassey said Sherry West phoned her the day her brother was killed for advice on cashing in on his insurance policy. She testified she was familiar with insurance because her grandmother had died the summer before.

“She asked me how long I thought it would take to get the life insurance policy, the check to come,” a tearful Glassey said. “The whole conversation just didn’t settle well with me.”
The 21-year-old, who has not lived with West since she was taken into care at 8-years-old, said was also troubled because her mother’s account of what happened on the day kept on changing. So much so that she contacted law enforcement in Brunswick who did not follow up her concerns.

Earlier in the week on Tuesday during her testimony West broke down in court and said she was certain it was De’Marquise Elkins, 18, (on trial for first degree murder) who shot her son in the face at point-blank range.

West also said she took out a $5,000 policy from Gerber because Santiago was sick just after he was born and someone at the hospital suggested that it would be a good idea. She used $2,000 to cover her son’s funeral costs and the balance to pay her moving expenses, she said.

Elkins’ Attorney, Kevin Gough has said that it can’t be ruled out that “one or both parents” may have been involved in their son’s death. West has a history of mental health issues.
Prosecutors say Elkins and an accomplice, 15-year-old Dominique Lang, stopped West, and the older teen pointed a small .22-caliber revolver at her and demanded money before shots were fired.

Lang has testified against Elkins to say he pulled the trigger. During cross examination by Jonathan Lockwood, a defense attorney for Elkins, the teen admitted to lying to detectives and said they pressured him into saying certain things.

The killing of 13-month-old Antonio Santiago on March 21 has attracted national attention and brought to the surface simmering racial tension in the coastal city of Brunswick, with opinion sharply divided along racial lines.

The court case was moved to Marietta, Georgia, because of the extensive publicity surrounding the case. At the start of the trial Glynn County Public Defender Kevin Gough objected to the racial makeup of potential jurors.

Follow Kunbi Tinuoye on Twitter @Kunbiti