Visiting Judge Martha Huerta of Corpus Christi thanked an 11-woman, 1-man, jury in Raymondville Tuesday afternoon for their service over the past seven days while hearing an intoxicated manslaughter case against a Santa Monica man, Mauro Concepcion Alvarez.

Alvarez is on trial in connection with the death of his friend, Pedro Palomo, 68, of Lyford, on March 16, 2007.

Willacy County District Attorney Bernard Ammerman is trying to prove that Alvarez was at the wheel of his pickup when it overturned near the floodway and that he was legally intoxicated at the time of the accident.

Defense attorneys, however, contend that Palomo was driving and that Alvarez was only a pasenger in the pickup and that he was not responsible for Palomo's death.

The trial began with jury selection on Monday of last week and wound up yesterday with a final witness, Delma Salinas, a neighbor of Alvarez for the past 31 years.

In her testimony Salinas placed Palomo at the wheel of the truck when it left her neighbor's house earlier that day, while admitting that she did not know who was driving at the time of the crash.

D.A. Ammerman hammered away at the witness saying that she has changed her story several times and even asked her if she is "familiar with the perjury laws in Texas."

Earlier, an expert witness, Cam Cope of Conroe, TX. testified that the driver was dead at the scene and that he could tell from examining the glass, blood and the crushed vehicle that it was Palomo who was driving the pickup at the time of the rollover.

At the time Sheriff Larry Spence said he arrived at the scene and saw Palomo pinned beneath the truck. Palomo was life flighted to valley Baptist Medical Center, Harlingen, where he was dead on arrival.

Judge Huerta warned the jury not to discuss the case with anyone "I don't believe there is any media here," she said, "but just in case, don't talk to them either."

The jury was to reconvene at 10 a.m. this morning to begin their deliberations.