State rests case in Jaylen Edgar trial over downtown Orlando mass shooting
State rests case in Jaylen Edgar trial over downtown Orlando mass shooting
Prosecutors rested their case Friday in the murder trial of Jaylen Edgar, the teenager accused of killing two people and wounding seven others during a mass shooting in downtown Orlando on Halloween nearly two years ago.
ORLANDO, Fla. - Prosecutors rested their case Friday in the murder trial of Jaylen Edgar, the teenager accused of killing two people and wounding seven others during a mass shooting in downtown Orlando on Halloween nearly two years ago.
Edgar faces two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted first-degree murder.
Jurors hear Edgar's interview with detectives
New Details:
On the second day of testimony, prosecutors played a recorded interview showing Edgar speaking with detectives shortly after his arrest.
Detectives showed Edgar a photograph of the downtown crowds and asked him to identify himself.
"I'm right there with the yellow on," Edgar said.
During the interview, detectives also asked Edgar about the deaths of people close to him and other experiences in his life.
"I just really did a clap for myself. Nobody really knew deep down inside what I've been through 100%," Edgar said. "To the point where I'm at, I don't know how, I'm still really singing and smiling."
At another point in the interview, Edgar said, "I'm young still!"
Edgar was 17 at the time of the shooting and is being tried as an adult.
Shooting victims testify
What they're saying:
Jurors also heard from people who said they were shot during the attack.
Gabriella Santiago Sanchez testified that a bullet struck her shoulder and traveled toward her jaw.
"I was shot in the shoulder. The bullet traveled towards my jaw, and it got stuck there," she said.
Sanchez described hearing gunfire moments before she was wounded.
"Heard the first shot, I took a step forward to run, and then the second one I blinked, and I was laying on the ground," she testified.
Another victim, Eitan Meiler, described being struck in the leg.
"I felt something hitting my shin. And then me and my three friends, we just all went down to the floor," Meiler said.
Attorneys clash over premeditation
The other side:
After the state rested, attorneys argued over whether the shootings constituted premeditated murder.
The defense accepted the prosecution's theory of premeditation regarding the first alleged shooting but disputed that it applied to the eight shootings that followed.
Prosecutors argued that Edgar's actions demonstrated premeditation because he arrived in downtown Orlando armed with a gun and, according to the state's theory, intended to shoot as many people as possible.
Defense begins its case Monday
What's next:
The trial is scheduled to resume Monday, when Edgar's attorneys are expected to begin presenting their case.
It remains unclear what defense strategy they plan to pursue.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Orlando Police Department, proceedings in the Ninth Circuit Court on Aug. 21, 2026, and previous reporting by FOX 35 News.