GREELEY, Colo. (AP) -A backup punter charged with trying to kill the starter clearly wanted the starting job and was “pouty” when he didn’t get it, a former teammate testified Wednesday.
Mitch Cozad, charged with attempted first-degree murder and second-degree assault, also asked if he would get the job if the starter were hurt, said David Dyches, a former place-kicker at Northern Colorado.
Dyches also said Cozad once told him he hated Mendoza.
Cozad, of Wheatland, Wyo., is accused in the Sept. 11 stabbing of Rafael Mendoza. If convicted, Cozad could face up to 48 years in prison.
In his opening statement Tuesday, defense attorney Joseph Gavaldon blamed the stabbing on another Northern Colorado student, Kevin Aussprung, who told police he was with Cozad that night but did not participate in the attack.
Gavaldon said Aussprung, a soccer player, was a “football wannabe” who disliked Mendoza.
He said prosecutors jumped to the conclusion that Cozad attacked Mendoza because Cozad’s car was used.
Aussprung’s attorney, Bill Crosier, denied his client was the attacker.
“It’s absolutely false,” Crosier told The Associated Press on Wednesday, adding that he was “flabbergasted … offended … disgusted at the innuendo.”
Aussprung was expected to testify later.
In his opening statement, Weld County District Attorney Ken Buck portrayed Cozad as a jealous teammate who wasn’t as talented as Mendoza.
“He could not accept the fact he was inferior, and he devised a plan to do off the field what couldn’t do on the field,” Buck said.
Buck said Cozad was driven to meet his mother’s expectations and wanted to be “a big man on campus.”
Buck also noted that Aussprung had had back surgery five months before the attack.
Mendoza was stabbed in a dimly lit parking lot outside his apartment in Evans, a small town adjacent to Greeley. He suffered a 3- to 5-inch wound in his kicking leg but recovered and returned to the team later in the season.
He told detectives his attacker first tried to stab him in the chest.
Aussprung, who lived in the same dorm as Cozad, testified at a hearing in January that Cozad had offered him $100 to take care of his car while Cozad handled “some business.”
Aussprung testified that 15 to 20 minutes after they arrived at the parking lot at Mendoza’s apartment, Cozad ran back to the car and said they had to leave. In a separate affidavit, Aussprung said Cozad placed what appeared to be a knife into a plastic bag after returning to the car.
Two workers at a liquor store near where the incident took place told investigators they saw two people dressed in black drive up, get out of the car and peel tape off a Wyoming license plate reading 8-KIKR.
The plate was traced to Cozad’s mother.
Add A Comment
THIS IS NOT A GAMBLING SITE – If you think you have a gambling problem click here.
Disclaimer: This site is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Individual users are responsible for the laws regarding accessing gambling information from their jurisdictions. Many countries around the world prohibit gambling, please check the laws in your location. Any use of this information that may violate any federal, state, local or international law is strictly prohibited.
Copyright: The information contained on TheSpread.com website is protected by international copyright and may not be reproduced, or redistributed in any way without expressed written consent.
About: TheSpread.com is the largest sports betting news site in the United States. We provide point spread news, odds, statistics and information to over 175 countries around the world each year. Our coverage includes all North American College and Professional Sports as well as entertainment, political and proposition wagering news.
©1999-2023 TheSpread.com