Riveting testimony in Odessa trial

Alexia Estrada was scared. In the early morning hours of March 7, 2021, Nathan Sandoval had spent an hour in her living room armed with a pistol demanding to know where his daughter’s mother, Abigail, was before leaving and Estrada was terrified he was going to show up again to find Abigail in her apartment.

Her worst fears came true about 36 hours later, Estrada told a jury Monday afternoon.

After helping her carry in some groceries, Estrada said Abigail Leyva went to move her car to an assigned spot at the Golden Crest Apartments on Tanglewood Lane.

“I heard a big bang and I heard somebody scream,” Estrada said.

When she ran to her apartment window, she saw Leyva sitting in her car and Sandoval trying to get inside.

“I screamed for Abigail’s mom and I ran outside,” Estrada said. “As soon as I got to the car he was closing the door and taking off.”

She chased the car all the way through the apartment complex’s parking lot, but watched helplessly as he turned onto Tanglewood.

“I thought I was never going to see Abigail again,” Estrada said.

Monday was the first day in Sandoval’s trial in the 244th Ector County District Court.

Sandoval, 25, is facing one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and one count of aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon.

Assistant Ector County Attorney Henry Eckels told jurors during opening statements Sandoval and Leyva began dating in 2017 when Sandoval was 20 and Leyva 15. The two had a daughter one year later, but they broke up and Sandoval left the area.

In March 2021, Eckels said Sandoval came back and began calling, messaging and texting Leyva because he wanted her back. Leyva, who had another boyfriend, wasn’t interested, he said.

Eckels said Sandoval is facing the aggravated assault charge because on the night of March 6, 2021 and into the early morning hours of March 7, 2021, an armed Sandoval kept Leyva’s brother, Edward, and his then-girlfriend, Estrada, inside their apartment, demanding to know where she was and refusing to leave.

Edward Leyva and Estrada both testified Sandoval only left the apartment because he became convinced police were on their way after hearing sirens. The parents of a 4-year-old boy testified they were afraid Sandoval would use his gun.

Estrada told jurors she secretly texted Abigail Leyva that night to warn her not to come home.

Hours after she disappeared and while police continued to search for her, Estrada said Abigail Leyva arrived back at the apartment.

“She was terrified. She was out of breath and she was scared,” Estrada told jurors.

Eckels told the jury Abigail Leyva will testify Sandoval shot the window out of her car so he could unlock the door and kept her captive at gunpoint until she was able to get away from him in West Odessa. They’ll also hear from an Odessa Police Department hostage negotiator who tried to de-escalate the situation and officers who were able to locate the victim’s car after she surreptitiously sent her sister a “ping” from her phone, he said.

Defense attorney Johanna Curry told jurors during her opening statement prosecutors would not be able to prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.

“Abigail gave so many different statements to so many different people as to what occurred I don’t know what she’ll say” during the trial, Curry said.

She said her client had a baby with a different woman one year after Abigail Leyva gave birth and left Odessa for 18 months.

That gave the Leyva family plenty of time to make plans for his return, Curry said, prompting a strenuous objection from the state which was sustained by Judge James Rush.

The trial is expected to resume at 9 a.m. Tuesday.