State could call four more witnesses in Villarreal murder trial

GRAND FORKS — More than halfway into the Vincent Villarreal murder trial, the prosecution appears close to resting its case, with four more witnesses to call. Villarreal, 34, is charged with Class AA felony murder with extreme indifference, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison if found guilty. He is accused of fatally shooting his father, Jeffrey Allen Shulzitski, at the Budget Inn Express in December 2020. On Tuesday, the jury was expected to hear the cross examination of Daniel Essig, whose testimony focused on surveillance footage taken from the Budget Inn. Throughout the trial, the defense, represented by Ward Johnson and Christian Clapp, has mentioned several issues with this footage and could examine this more in depth when questioning Essig. The state, represented by Rachel Rae Egstad and Sarah Gereszek, could then call Adrianna Villarreal, Rory Suby, Dr. Mark Koponen and Steve Conley. Adriana Villarreal is Vincent Villarreal s mother. She p