Opening arguments in fatal casino carjack case
MAYS LANDING, N.J. (AP) - Opening arguments started Monday in the trial of a man accused in the fatal carjacking of an Atlantic City casino patron two years ago, with prosecutors detailing the "brutal nature" of the victim's death.
Craig Arno faces 28 counts - including murder, carjacking and three counts of felony murder - in the death of 47-year-old Martin Caballero of North Bergen. He could face a life sentence if convicted.
Atlantic County prosecutors say Arno and his girlfriend, Jessica Kisby, who has pleaded guilty, carjacked Caballero in the parking garage of the Trump Taj Mahal casino in May 2010 and stabbed him to death. Caballero's burning vehicle was found early the next day, and his remains were found several days later in a farmer's field about 30 minutes west of Atlantic City.
The random attack occurred just moments after Caballero dropped his family off at the casino to celebrate his daughter's 21st birthday.
Prosecutors told jurors that Arno wanted the 2009 Lincoln MKS that Caballero had parked in a secluded spot, hoping to keep his prized possession away from harm. But public defender Eric Shenkus said there's not enough evidence to prove Arno is guilty.
Kisby is expected to testify during the trial, though it's not clear when that may happen.
She pleaded guilty in February to murder, carjacking, auto theft, aggravated arson and three weapons offenses. The plea deal calls for prosecutors to recommend the 30-year sentence on the murder charge, with sentencing on the other charges to be determined by the judge.
Kisby will not be sentenced until after Arno's trial concludes. And if prosecutors determine she did not testify truthfully, they can revoke the plea deal.
What should have been a birthday celebration turned into a funeral because of the failure of the Taj Mahl to keep its patrons safe:
From: Taj Mahal Birthday Celebration Turned Fatal
The couple are accused of the May 2010 abduction and slaying of Martin Caballero, a North Jersey grocer who planned to spend a Friday night with family at the Taj Mahal and ended up stabbed to death, his body dumped along a dirt road.
Kisby and Arno, who had met in prison months earlier, have been described by investigators as a brutal but bumbling Bonnie and Clyde who left a trail of circumstantial evidence that has been used to build the case against them.
The killing of Caballero was part of a crime spree that began with an armed robbery the day before and included kidnapping, assault, murder, car theft, and a botched attempt to flee Atlantic City in a stolen SUV, authorities said.
The crimes were detailed in a 39-count indictment handed up against them in April. Kisby now is prepared to add a first-person account of the events. Last week, she described the slaying of Caballero, 47, as a robbery gone bad.
Arno, she said, stabbed Caballero repeatedly. So many times, she told Atlantic County Superior Court Judge Michael Donio, "I really can't count. . . . It was numerous," according to a report in the Press of Atlantic City.
Caballero was targeted, Kisby said, because he drove "a nice car."
"We figured he had some money," said Kisby, who said she and Arno were in the garage when they saw their mark pull in behind the wheel of a 2009 silver Lincoln MKS.
Caballero, from North Bergen in Hudson County, had just dropped off his wife and daughter at the Taj entrance. They and relatives planned to celebrate the Caballeros' daughter's 21st birthday.
Kisby's confession, delivered coincidentally on Valentine's Day, includes a detailed account of criminal events that began in the Taj Mahal garage the night of May 21 and ended with Kisby's and Arno's arrests in a seedy motel seven days later.
Additional: Taj Mahal
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