State, Defense rest case in deadly 2020 Cape Coral Bridge hit-and-run trial

Thursday marked day two in the trial of 20-year-old Clody Gonzalez Vera. Gonzalez Vera is accused of leaving 21-year-old Austin Manke to die on the Cape Coral Bridge after hitting Manke’s moped in February 2020.

The state rested its case after presenting some final arguments and evidence to the jury.

RELATED: Trial begins for the man accused in a deadly 2020 Cape Coral Bridge hit-and-run

Florida Highway Patrol Corporal Timothy Wargo investigated the crash and interviewed Gonzalez Vera afterward.

The jury heard that interview in court on Thursday. In the recording, Gonzalez Vera claimed he hit the Cape Coral Bridge and never mentioned hitting Manke’s lime green moped.

Corporal Wargo showed the jury lime green paint on parts of Gonzalez Vera’s car.

“There was no damage to the Nissan Altima that indicated he hit the bridge wall.” Wargo told the jury, “when I was asking him if there were any parts of the bridge wall that were green, he said they were not and there’s no green on my car so that kind of caught me off guard that he was defending like you won’t find any green paint on the pieces of my vehicle.”

The state also called an expert who reconstructed the crash and showed the jury the lime green paint and damage on parts of Gonzalez Vera’s bumper that were consistent with hitting the moped, not the bridge.

The defense began making its case on Thursday afternoon.