Noah Espada

Case record: Noah Espada

Parties

• Noah Espada — defendant
• Luke Scott (Luther Scott, “Luke”) — victim; general manager of Polly Esther’s Dance Plex, a River Walk night club
• Sandra Ramos — victim; neighbor of Luke Scott; had recently quit her job as a bartender at a North Side saloon

Background

Noah Espada was angry after being fired from his nightclub job and planned to kill his former boss, Luke Scott. Espada believed he was planning to kill Scott in revenge for Espada’s firing from Polly Esther’s nightclub.

On February 14, 2004, Noah Espada, 20 years old, was fired from his job as a “barback” at the nightclub.

The murders occurred in the Altamonte Apartments, north of San Antonio International Airport. The only connection between the two victims before Espada’s arrest was that they lived in the Altamonte Apartments.

Luke Scott was 30 and was described as the general manager of Polly Esther’s Dance Plex. Sandra Ramos was 29 and was about to move to Missouri for another career opportunity.

The offence

Espada planned to kill Luke Scott. Espada attempted to break into Scott’s apartment, but broke into the wrong apartment and suffocated Sandra Ramos.

• Espada broke into an apartment at the Altamonte Apartments approximately two weeks after he was fired, believing it to be the apartment of Luther Scott, the general manager of Polly Esthers.
• Espada discovered Sandra Ramos, the true occupant of the apartment.
• After talking to Ramos for nearly half an hour, Espada killed her to prevent her from disrupting his plan to kill Scott.

Three days later, Espada returned to the apartment complex and broke into Scott’s apartment, waited for Scott to come home, and shot Scott multiple times after Scott walked into the apartment.

On March 2, 2004, Espada returned to the apartment complex, broke into Scott’s apartment, and waited for him to return from work. When Scott came home, Espada shot him to death.

Investigation

Detective Liz Greiner, lead investigator on the case for the San Antonio Police Department, testified about how leads developed that led to Espada’s arrest.

Greiner testified that the case was broken wide open after a tip led to the discovery of Luke Scott’s flashy black sports car, which was stolen after he was shot to death around 4:25 a.m. March 2 in Altamonte’s Unit 807. The car was discovered in a garage at the home of one of the defendant’s ex-girlfriends.

Greiner testified that although the slayings appeared unrelated at first, she suspected Espada also was responsible for the suffocation death of Ramos, 3 days earlier, in apartment No. 1216. Greiner testified that Espada ultimately admitted to another detective he committed that murder.

Greiner read a 5-page confession she took from Espada.

Arrest

Greiner testified that the leads ultimately led to Espada’s arrest on March 18, 2004, at his girlfriend’s apartment near the South Texas Medical Center.

Trial

The case was tried in the 379th District Court before Judge Bert Richardson, and it followed a jury trial and punishment hearing.

A juror was excused because of a death in the family, and prosecutors and defense attorneys took an extra day to choose a replacement juror after a rocky start.

• Prosecutor(s): Kevin O’Connell
• Defense lawyer(s): Jeff Scott; Richard Langlois
• Defence opening statements: Defense attorneys Jeff Scott and Richard Langlois chose not to give an opening statement.

Kevin O’Connell concluded in his opening statement to jurors in 379th District Court:

"Luke is dead because he fired a guy from a $2.50-an-hour job. Sandra Ramos is dead because she was collateral damage,"

Jeff Scott said in relation to the case:

"The case is not about Espada's guilt or innocence, but whether he deserves the death penalty."

The trial involved testimony beginning in two slayings at the apartment complex.

During the confession, Espada described the events leading to Luke Scott’s death. Greiner’s voice started shaking when she read the portion describing what happened when Scott entered his apartment after a long night at the club.

Espada stated in the confession:

"Luke came in and called his cat,"

"My heart was pounding. I could not back out, now. "As soon as Luke was in front of me, I fired 1 shot. ... Luke ran into the hallway and I fired again and he fell to the floor. Luke sat up facing the door. I was standing behind him then and I fired once into his head."

Espada also stated in the confession that he took Luke Scott’s car keys, a watch, and his gym bag before fleeing the scene in the victim’s car.

Espada’s confession described breaking into Scott’s 2nd-floor apartment through the balcony door and lying in wait in the bedroom with Scott’s cat. The source identified Scott’s relatives said the cat was named Kiki.

Sentencing

A jury deliberated before deciding capital punishment was appropriate punishment for Noah Espada.

• The jury returned a death sentence on August 17, 2005.
• Espada was sentenced to death on October 27, 2005.

Espada sat motionless when the judge read the jury’s decision, but broke down in tears when he addressed the court.

Espada told the court:

"No matter what happens, I'll never forget what I did," Espada said.
"As a matter of fact, I hate myself the same way that you all hate me."

Alisha Scott-Aboud, Scott’s mother, told Espada during a victim’s impact statement:

"We're here because of the decisions that you made," Alisha Scott-Aboud, Scott's mother, said to Espada during a victim's impact statement.
"And the decisions that you made for my son's life, and for Sandra's life."

Julio Ramos, the father of Sandra Ramos, told reporters after sentencing:

"My daughter is gone and will never come back," Julio Ramos, the father of Sandra Ramos, said to reporters after the sentencing.
"Perhaps, I may see her again."

Appeals

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the death sentence issued against Noah Espada.

Outcome

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the death sentence against Noah Espada for the 2004 double murder of Sandra Ramos and Luther Scott.

Other details

• The murders were described as occurring in late February and early March of 2004.
• Luke Scott was described as being “flying high” as general manager of Polly Esther’s Dance Plex.
• Detective Liz Greiner testified that Espada admitted the suffocation death of Ramos to another detective.