LEXINGTON, S.C. — The Greg Leon murder trial is now in a two day recess as the attorneys work to resolve a legal matter.
That announcement came from Judge Walton McLeod right as defense testimony was set to begin. Leon is charged with killing his wife's lover seven years ago.
Defendant Greg Leon is a restauranteur here in the Midlands, known for his family’s chain of Mexican restaurants and for his involvement in a fatal 2016 shooting.
Leon is charged with murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime after prosecutors say he killed his wife’s lover on Valentine's Day.
Prosecutors presented evidence in court that traces Leon’s whereabouts leading up to the fatal shooting, including video surveillance from the crime that was played for the court.
The prosecution called 21 witnesses over four days, trying to prove that Leon knew that his wife, Rachel, was having in affair — and created a malicious plan to kill her and Arturo Bravo Santos after catching them in the act.
According to data collected from Leon’s phone and video surveillance footage, the Leon family went to Carraba’s Italian Grill on Feb. 14, 2016 — the night of the killing.
Then, Greg and Rachel Leon left separately. The defendant drove to his restaurant where he’s seen scrolling through his phone. The prosecution says he was checking his wife’s location…tracing it to a park and ride on Riverchase way near I-20 in Lexington where she was in the backseat of a pickup truck with Santos.
Leon is seen leaving the restaurant, pulling up to the parking lot minutes later. The state says surveillance footage captures the 60 seconds he spends walking up to the car, pointing a gun at the windshield, opening the rear passenger side door and shooting Santos.
The prosecution says Leon hatched this place in January 2016 — a month before the shooting — when he placed a tracker under the hood of his wife’s car and started searching for her profile on dating apps.
The defense, however, argues that Leon was concerned about his wife, worried she was caught up in illegal drug use. When Leon pulled up to the parking lot, the defense says their client heard his wife’s scream and was threatened by Santos. The defense says Leon reacted on instinct, fearing for her safety.
Now the defense is gearing up to present its case when court resumes at 12:30 on Wednesday afternoon.
News 19 will continue providing you coverage as details develop.