Closing statements today at Lynn trial

SALEM – Swampscott and Lynn detectives on Wednesday recounted the events leading to the arrests of two Lynn men who are now on trial for the robbery and armed assault of a Lynn man in 2008.Lawyers also finished presenting evidence and they are expected to deliver their closing statements this morning in Salem Superior Court.Lynn Police Detective Steve Pohle and Swampscott Detective Tim Cassidy both testified that Miguel Segura immediately recognized in photo arrays the images of suspects Brian Rivera and Luis Espinosa as the men who pistol-whipped and robbed him inside his own car, and then threatened to “kill him and throw him in a lake.”?He said in broken English, ?That?s him, that?s him,?” Cassidy testified Wednesday about Segura?s identification of Rivera. “I asked him how sure he was percentage-wise? he said 100 percent.”Rivera, 23, and Espinosa, 31, are on trial for the robbery, carjacking and armed assault of Segura on the night of Dec. 22, 2008. Lynn Police arrested Rivera on Jan. 12, 2008 at a hotel in Peabody and arrested Espinosa the next day on Pacific Street in Lynn.Segura identified Rivera in a photo array in the early morning hours after the incident occurred, Cassidy said. Pohle interviewed Segura at his home the next day, where he identified Espinosa as the second man.?He got very excited, and started tapping on the picture and saying, ?Ese, Ese,? or ?That?s him,? in Spanish,” Pohle told Assistant District Attorney Kim Faitella.Friends of the co-defendants provided their own versions of the days up to and including the arrests.Courtney LeBlanc, a Lynn resident who had a brief relationship with Espinosa, said he told her to “keep going” past her Pacific Street residence after a friend called her to say she was about to be pulled over.?I got a call from a friend that said my name was on the police scanner and I was going to get pulled over,” LeBlanc said.She also told jurors Espinosa is the brother of Rivera?s girlfriend at the time of the carjacking.Carrie Escobar, who was in the Peabody hotel room where police took Rivera into custody, testified that Rivera told the officers, “It has nothing to do with them,” referring to Escobar and her boyfriend, as they handcuffed him.Pohle said Rivera was under the covers in one of the hotel beds, with the sheets pulled up to his neck.?His eyes were closed. I had my gun drawn, and I yelled at him to show his hands,” Pohle said.Defense attorneys Mark Schmidt and Kirk Bransfield argued during opening statements Monday that there is not sufficient evidence to prove Rivera and Espinosa are the men who committed the crimes. On Wednesday, many of their questions centered on the fact that neither of the detectives used a trained interpreter during their interviews with Segura, instead opting to let his wife translate.?How would you know as to the accuracy of what she was saying?” Schmidt asked Cassidy on the stand.?I guess I just took her word for it,” he said.The prosecution rested shortly before noon and both suspects declined to testify on their own behalf. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today at 9 a.m., presiding Judge Howard Whitehead told the jurors.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].