Trial underway for second man accused in Warlock gang killings

Victor Amaro, 43, also known as “Poncho,” is accused of killing members of the biker gang, the Central Florida Warlocks.  Amaro is a former member of the gang who, along with five others, formed their own motorcycle gang, the Philly Warlocks.  He is facing three counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder.  On Tuesday morning, he faced a Seminole County judge.

“You’re going to hear that two of the shooters were wearing bullet proof vests during this and you’re going to hear specifically that the guns Victor Amaro was shooting can be tied to the bullets that caused the death of two of these men,” said state prosecutor Lisa Haba during her opening statement. 

“You’re going to see that Mr. Amaro is not guilty of these crimes. What the state describes was an ambush, but that’s not what this was,” said Amaro’s defense attorney.

Things got a little heated during the defenses cross examination with a Florida Warlock. The defense is trying to prove the Warlocks knew the VFW charity event in Winter Springs was sponsored by the Philly Warlocks. Since it was the Florida Warlocks’ territory they weren’t happy. A shootout broke out between the two groups on September 30, 2012. The end result: five people were shot, three people were killed.

Earlier this month, a jury found Amaro’s partner David Maloney not guilty of murder in the case. But he’s facing a retrial next month on the attempted murder charge.