Trial update: Jurors hear interrogation of man accused in killing of Bonita Springs woman

Jurors heard from the man accused of killing a Bonita Springs woman in 2017 during day three of testimony.

Prosecutors played a taped 3-hour interrogation of Cristian Dilan where he denied involvement before admitting that he was present for the beating of 34-year-old Sarah Nicholson in her Squire Lane home.

Nicholson was also stabbed and her home was set on fire.

In his interrogation, Dilan cried while confessing that he went to Nicholson’s home but in his version of events he went to help Davaughn Oquendo move out.

A second suspect, Raymond Gomez, faces charged in Nicholson’s death. Oquendo, who Dilan says was Nicholson’s attacker, has not been arrested.

Dilan says when they got there, Nicholson recognized Oquendo even though he was masked. Dilan said Oquendo started hurting Nicholson and told Dilan and Gomez to get his stuff.

“I heard screaming and yelling while I was in the car,” Dilan said in his interrogation. “He ends up running out the house. He says he lit the house on fire, then he has so much blood on him, so much (expletive) blood on him.”

“He said if I ever said anything, he would kill me, my mom, my brother and my sister,” Dilan added.

In the interrogation, Dilan started crying uncontrollably because he couldn’t help Nicholson.

“It really (expletive) hurts,” he said. “I could have saved that lady’s life. I could have did something. I didn’t touch her, I just grabbed everything like I was told. I could have died there that night too, you guys could have found my body in there too.”

Dilan said Oquendo told him and Gomez that Nicholson would not be home when they went to go get his stuff.

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