master tenant derek almena is expected to take the stand in the morning providing his account of what happened leading up to the fire that killed 36 people. nbc bay area's ali wolf joins us live with what we can expect in >> reporter: sam, it is a risky move but derek almena will have to take the stand and defend himself and try and convince the jury he's remorseful and he is empathetic after that fire that killed 36 people back in 2016. now, our legal analyst says almena's likely going to stick to his defense's strategy placing the blame on the city of oakland and ghostship landlord for not doing enough to improve conditions inside the warehouse before that fire. prosecutors argue both almena and co-defendant max harris are the ones responsible for creating the unsafe environment. almena and harris each face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count for each person who died. legal analyst steven clark expects prosecutors to try and get under almena's skin. >> they know that he's easily set off based on things he's done in the past, so they will mthy derail his own case. >> rep

>> almena said i rented the space in my name. >> reporter: almena says i still don't want to blame anybody the first interview that almena gave to ktvu in jail which he says the whole structure is pointing to the blame. the defense says they are confident they will prevail . >> i don't think you know we were damaged severely by the cross-examination. i don't think my clients came out pretty well. i think there is going to be reasonable doubt in the case. >> considering the magnitude of what is at stake, this is probably the weakest case that has ever moved forward to jury trial with this level of death and destruction which has occurred. >> reporter: the d.a. will present witnesses on monday and present closing arguments but that is not until july 29. >> henry lee in the newsroom. thanks, henry. >>> the public defender for the man accused of 4 women as a rideshare driver says police illegally obtained his dna. the attorneys say police gather dna evidence by testing for alcohol intoxication last july. the public defender is arguing the search was illegal because there was no search warrant.

asked by his attorney if he had remorse, almena said there are no words. asked if he had any contrition, almena said i feel death, the loss of life, forever. beautiful, beautiful people. almena said he always believed the warehouse was safe and was told it was safe. otherwise he said he wouldn't stay there with his family. his attorney says his client connected with the jury. >> the emotion that he manifested and the fact that he shows and through his demeanor and answers he does have contrition. >> reporter: but all this is with his own attorney. it under cross examination by the da. also on the stand was darrell leche a contractor who lived at the ghost ship. he heard bottles breaking and an argument ine. he said he then saw seven people dressed in dark clothing running away. >> so we say that these are the people who started the arson. and we say these are the same people who were at the taco stand bragging about it. >> reporter: on cross examination, leche acknowledged he's a convicted felon. the da insinuated leche never previously told investigators

on cross-examination, almena said a dog had found the condom. prosecutor autry james played body cam video, when n which he appears to say his son found it. >> he is an a minor in an area that should have remained confidential. and has absolutely nothing to do with this case. and from my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> the prosecution has been hammering away at almena's credibility. the d.a. accused him of lying in a videotaped interview with investigators after his arrest. >> i infer that that is part of strategy. you know, to wear him down. to interrogation, you know, is a necessity. my client calls it duress. >> almena acknowledged, he never ogot any permits for the changes he made to the warehouse. nor were there safety devices like sprinklers or audible alarms. >> what almena has done by going on the stand has really proven the case against himself. but he has also proven that the city knew what was going on in this building. >> after almena is done testifying, the d.a. will likely present evidencecourthou henry lee, ktvu,

the prosecutor accused almena of playing the blame game. almena said i still don't want to blame anybody but the d.a. referred to this interview that mektvu from jail in which he says the whole structure of his defenses pointing to blame. the defense says they are confident they will prevail . >> i don't think we were damaged severely by the cross- examination that i think my client has come out pretty well. asonable doubt in the case. >> considering the magnitude of what is at stake, this is probably the weakest case that has ever moved forward to jury trial with this level of death and destruction which has occurred. >> the d.a. will begin presenting rebuttal witnesses on monday and present closing arguments but that will not happen until july 29. >> henry lee in the newsroom, thank you. >>> henry lee in court through the duration of the trial. you can follow daily updates on his courtroom blog online. just go to ktvu.com . >>> incredible video of a south bay police chase, the car catching air, sending sparks flying as it speeds through t

any idea on what their reaction is to derek almena and hi testimony on the stand?hey think he is crying crocodile tears initially on his first on the stand. they think he was lying through his teeth to save his skin and so they have plenty of negative things to say of both almena and max harris. >> his testimony resumes tomorrow. henry lee in our newsroom tonight. henry, thank you. you can follow henry's daily courtroom updates on his blog on ktvu.com. >>> authorities in sonoma county say a man killed by a smart dream last night its own life. they say he was facing sexual abuse charges with a court date later this month. six-year-old keith markham was found dead on the tracks last night near the scenic avenue over crossing. the das office says he was arrested in april for sexually abusing residents at the in- home care facility for mentally and physically disabled children that he ran for the past 30 years. >>> transportation officials have installed new safety gates now along the smart train tracks. the so called the gate tries to guide pedestrians to walk over th

almena entirely exonerated mr. harris. >> reporter: trial resumes monday morning with the prosecution calling rebuttal witnesses. closing arguments are set for july 29th. it could take up to three days. in oakland, eric thomas, abc7 news. >> and download the abc7 news app now and you'll get a push alert when the case goes to the jury and when a verdict is reached. you can also look back on all of our coverage of the ghost ship tragedy. >> coming up on abc7 news here at 6:00, living in fear and under threat. >> yes, we are live in san francisco. right now with the concerns of the immigrant community facing deportations by the government >> i'm spencer christian. get ready for some sizzling book two, separate qualifying stays at choicehotels.com... ...and earn a $50 gift card. because when your business is rewarding yourself... ...our business is you. book direct at choicehotels.com itit's crepe day.day for our family at denny's. a family tradition we started about 22 minutes ago and now we can continue that traditio

almena said i rented the space in my name . the prosecutor accused almena of playing the blame game. ea referred to this interview almena gave to ktvu from jail in which he says the whole structure is defense is pointing the blame. don't think we were damaged severely by the cross- examination. i think my clients come out pretty well. i think it is going to be reasonable doubt in the case. >> considering the magnitude of what's at stake, this is probably the weakest kate weakest case that has ever moved forward to jury trial. >> the da will begin presenting rebuttal witnesses on monday. closing arguments won't start until july 29. at the courthouse in oakland, henry lee, ktvu fox2 news. >> you can read his daily blog on www.ktvu.com. >>> letterhead, the recent quakes in southern california should the confidence of a lot of people here in the bay area. nextbig quake her kelly. >>> good morning. your morning commute is off to a nice start. will tell you a little bit abou cool. we will show you those frightening numbers coming up.

derick almena faces manslaughter charges after '36 people died 2016. mena's teamhis it could the pay off. here is why. legal analyst argue the cause of the fire is irrelevant because it was the fire trap created by almena and co-defendant max harris that led to these dealts. clark says in taking the stands, it shows almena has nothing to hide and attempt to prove he's not legally responsible. >> the defense is saying this was a tragedy, but we had no legal duty to prevent it because we were only managing the premi premises. they will say the real culprit are the landlords and city officials who were in a much better position to fix this problem than we were. >> clark says from the start the defense team argued the city of oakland, police and fire departments knew people were living illegally inside the building and did nothing to remove them. anser hassan, abc 7 news. >>> the man accused of stabbing and killing two people on a remote road in san mateo county will be arraigned on murder charges. malik dosouqi is accused of killing 32-year-old abdulmalek

almena said he always believed the warehouse was safe and was totally safe. otherwise, he said he would not stay there with his family. his attorney said his client connected with the journey . >> i thought he started beautiful. because everyone expects him to be arrogant and self-centered and the contemplative pause before he answered and the emotion that he manifested and the fact that he shows in his demeanor and his answers he does have contrition. >> reporter: all of this is with his own attorney. it is not clear how he will do under cross-examination by the d.a. >> when you put on a claim, it is kind of like having a baby that you don't know, you know, what's going to happen. you don't always know, you know, what the cross- examination is going to the. >> reporter: also on the stand was darrell ha, acontractor who lived at the ghost ship pick he said he heard bottles breaking and an argument breaking out in the warehouse before the fire and said he saw 7 people running away. >> we say these are the people who started the arson and the same people who we

almena's lawyer says this is his client being genuine. defense argues the fire was intentionally set and they are blaming oakland firefighters for never reporting dapping rouse conditions despite touring the property many times. court will be back in session at 9:30 this morning. almena is expected to be on the stand all week. kenny. >>> 6:57 right now. time for a look at this morning's top stories. >> >>> just this morn tom stey are announced he is run for president throwing his hat into the ring this morning. he has become a vocal advocate for impeaching president trump. now he joins about 2 dozen other democrats vying for the 2020 spot. >>> taking a live look in san jose, registered nurses are demanding better care for patients and asking management at g tan hospital and regional medical center to address turnover rates and focus on retaining staff.>>> federal help on the way for victims of the southerncalifornia ridgecrest earthquakes. the president signed an emergency declaration to provide recovery efforts for kern and san bernardin

like snapping at the peripheral. >> reporter: almena placed the blame on the landlord is trying to sayke ghost ship a safer place. he said he asked for a sprinkler system, a side door and for the bars to be removed from the windows. armenta said his landlord refused. and that there was only so much he could do himself. but colleen isn't buying the sympathy act. >> those are crocodile tears? >> crocodile is being generous. he is such a poor actor. he doesn't know how to fake it very well. children fake tears better than he does. and, i work with children and i see them when they go oh boo- hoo. >> reporter:, another was some discussion that derick almena had told lies or admitted to lying on the stand. what he actually said today was that he admitted "told untruths" when it came to saying what his role was at the ghost ship warehouse. cross-examination continues tomorrow, we will continue covering this. in oakland, juliette goodrich kpix5. >>> homicide detectives are investigating the death of an oakland scientist on the greek island of crete. 59-year-old suzette eaton suzanne eaton was

derick almena taking the stand today. how his testimony could affect the outcome of his trial. >>> good morning. it's monday, july 8th. a lot of you getting back to work after the holiday weekend. >> back in the swing of things. a little cool to start. let's get over to meteorologist mike nicco. >> what's up with that? like you said, good sleeping weather. nobody wants to get out of bed when it's this cool and drizzly and gray to begin with. you can see it on live doppler 7. the patchy drizzle is out there. i drove through it. you can't see even almost the top of the embarcadero center because of the lowness of the clouds and thickness of the moisture. drizzle for just about all of us through 9:00, mid to upper 50s. still in the 50s and 60s as the sunshine will be the slowest i've seen in months letting go of the cloud cover, letting go of the sunshine. you can see at 4:00 we're still barely in the 70s, even 50s at the coast and upper 50s to mid 60s at 7:00. let's get to alexis and talk about the commute. >> expecting a l

now it's almena's turn.e brinkley was in the courtroom today as he testified. >> reporter: for a second day, ghost ship founder derick almena took the stand in his own defense. almena pulled a list out of his jacket, a handwritten list. his lawyer said he made while sitting in jail for two and a half years. on the list, names of dozens of city officials he said walked through the warehouse including 16 visits by 28 police officers. and 13 members of oakland fire department he testified came by five separate times. >> make no bones about it, w believe that the fire department purgered themself when they said they didn't go in and do their job. they know darn well it could cost oakland millions of dollars in civil suits. >> reporter: almena described a pig roast and how an oakland fire captain dropped in serra asked did you ever hear you were in violation of fire code? never. they were enjoying themselves. almena touched photo of his family and broke down in hairs and harris said he had little to do with runni

we're likely going to see that play out for derek almena. his defense attorney says derek al men is going to tell the jury it was the landlords who forced him to lie to police, to lie to authorities because they allegedly did not want to pay for the necessary renovations, the upgrades to get the building up to code. again, it's a good reminder for folks that the family has not been charged in this criminal case. >> this trial is winding down. thank you very much. >>> newly released video of a police shooting involving an ax wielding man. this happened two years ago. officers responded to a bomb threat in san jose. today the officer's body cam video was released. >> we're going to -- this door down, dude. >> police responded to the call, they saw smoke coming from an apartment unit. they kicked open the door to find a man with an ax. they repeatedly ordered him to drop t he refused and started moving toward them. the officers first tried to taser the man. when that didn't work, they opened fire killing him. the d.a. determined it was lawful.

almena took the stand late this afternoon in an oakland courtroom. abc7 news reporter laura anthony was there and she has this report. >> when you put on a client, it's kind of like having a baby. you don't know, you know, what's going to happen. >> reporter: derrick almena finally has his day in court. the final witness for his own defense in a criminal trial that could send him and co-defendant max hairs to prison for decades. he put his head down and said he was tired and heartbroken and he became emotional when asked by his attorney if he felt responsible for those who died at the ghost ship. quote, i instituted something. i built something. i dreamed something. i attracted beautiful people to my space. i'm spiritually and morally responsible for it. >> and the contemplative pause before he answered and the emotion that he shows in his demeanor and his answers, he does have contrition. >> reporter: before almena, a former ghost ship resident darrell lee described what he heard in the moments before the fire that killed 36 people in december 2016.

almena totally exonerated mr. harris. we believe that that was going to happen, we believe that is what the evidence would always show. we feel very, very good about max harris' position right now. and we are very optimistic. >> reporter: court is set me back in session here on monday for rebuttal evidence. that is likely to only take a day. then on july 29th, we will have closing arguments. that is expected to take 3-4 days. the jury could have this case in their hands to decide on august 5th. in oakland, andria borba, kpix5. >>> lots of sunshine today, sort of a warm-up for parts of the bay area. inland areas creeping towards the 90s. ski brian hackney with we can expect for the weekend. >> it is looking pretty warm, at least if you are a little bit east of the bay. high pressure is now beginning to cover california and centered over the desert but it is beginning to just send it some high pressure our way. inland areas will be warming up. tomorrow it will be 92 at antioch and warm up into the mid-90s or saturday. so th

the da began cross examining almena. the prosecutor, almena, and the defense kept talking over each other. >> it's like a prize fight. you want to punch your opponent in the nose and make them bleed. my god, they started with the trivial extraneous material like snipping at the prif yal. >> reporter: families of victims aren't impressed with almena. >> he said he felt likeoesn't k. >> reporter: almena will likelyf the week. at the courthouse in oakland, henry lee, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> new at 10:00. in san rafael, the dixie school district has voted to change their name after a critic said the name was a reminder of slavery and the confederacy. trustees voted tonight to rename the dixie school district as the miller creek elementary school district. the vote was 3-1 with one abstention. trustees also voted to change the names of the dixie elementary school to lucas valley elementary. the issue has pitted the community against each other for months now. the change is set to take place before classes resume in august. tonig

. >> defendant derick almena. >> was a little less combative as he took the stand for the ghost ship trial in oakland. he and max harriss are charged with mon slaughter in the 2016 fire that killed 36 people. abc7 news and who are eric thomas has the latest. >> my gosh, he's an artist. he's not a criminal. >> reporter: that's the defense argument in a nutshell from the lawyer representing derick almena the master tenant who rented out space to others inside the ghost ship. yesterday the exchanges between al mane and lead prosecutor autry james were testy. today almena worked at keeping his cool despite rapid fire questions defense attorney tony serra said were designed to impress the jury. >> you want to show the jury that he's a vicious animal, oh the heart of him is violent and combative. you know, and so you do, you probe. >> under prosecution questioning, almena admitted all the carpentry work done inside converted warehouse was done without precipitations and said the building had not been inspected for 71 years before the fire. prosecutors took him back to an interview with a l

almena said he believed the warehouse was safe and was told it was safe. otherwise he said he wouldn't stay there with his family. sarah said his client connected with the jury. >> i thought he started beautiful because everyone, you know, expects him to be arrogant and self-centered. and contempt with pause before he answered, and the emotion that he manifested and the fact that he shows and through his dee mean nor and answers he does have contrition. >> reporter: all this is with his own attorney. it's not clear how do under cross examination by the da. >> when you put on a client, it's like having a baby. you don't know, you know, what's going to happen. you don't always know, you know, what the cross examination's going be. >> reporter: also on the stand was darrell leche, a contractor who live at the ghost ship. he heard an argument before the fire. he saw seven people dressed in dark clothing running away. >> so we say that these are the people who started the arson. and we say these are the same people who were at the taco stand bragging about it.

>> reporter: at times defended derick almena as, costs provided. specifically about documents he signed about the warehouse codes. his attorney believes it may be the prosecution strategy to wear him down. >> it was ugly. and it shows they are desperate . >> reporter: some victims family members say he cannot give a straight answer. >> he wants to put the blame on everybody else. he will not take the credibility for anything. he signed a leas rr: when the a was asked if he thinks the jury has made their minds up already , he was quick to answer. >> yes. >> reporter: his reasoning. >> we always look, are they looking out us? if they are not looking out us, it's terrible. if they are looking out us, may be there with us. they are smiling at us. when they walk by. they are smiling at us. i don't see them smiling at the da. >> reporter: there is still more testimony. derick almena will be back tomorrow for more cross- examination. as the trial nears the close, there are only three possible outcomes. guilty, not guilty and a hung jury. >>> earthquake vi

master tenant at derick almena took the stand for cross- examination. this time, he laid blame on the landlord for the deadly warehouse fire. he says he asked for a sprinkler system, a side door, and for bars to be removed from the windows. but, his landlord refused. almena often appeared agitated and today's questioning after yesterday's emotional testimony that some of the victims families say they are not buying it. >> because he is such a weasel. he cannot, he speaks around his answers. i saw him the night of the fire. i saw him at 3:00 in the morning ride up on a child's bicycle screaming at the top of his lungs the f word. and that he said oh my stuff while i am watching the building burn and my daughter is trapped inside. >> meanwhile almena's defense attorney says the prosecution harassed his client. he said almena is an artist and answering questions directly could be difficult for him. >>> a few new fears tonight of what firefighters were exposed to when they put out the state's worst wildfires last summer. wilson walker is in the fountain gro

almena broke down while reflecting on the lives that were lost. >> ghost ship master tenant derek almena wept as he took the stand. he said he's been in solitary confinement for two years. "i'm just so sad "he said. asked if he had any remorse, he said there are no words. asked if he felt contrition, he said, i feel death, the loss of life. forever. beautiful, beautiful people. he it was safe, otherwise, he said, he wouldn't have stayed there with his family. sera says his client connected with the jury. >> the emotion that he manifested and the fact that he shows in through his demeanor and answers, he does have contrition. >> but all of this is with his own attorney. it's not clear how do under cross-examination with the d.a. also on the stand was darrell lechee. he said he heard arguments and saw several people dressed in dark clothing, running away. >> so we say these are the people who started the arson. and we say these are the same people who were at the taco stand, bragging about it. >> on cross-examination, lechay acknowledged he is a convicted felon. and he never previously tol

video in which almena appeared is the it was his son who found it. >> he is a minor. it's an area that should remain confidential. it has absolutely to do with this case, and for my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> the prosecution has been hammering at almena's credibility by confronting him with inconsistent facts. they will be back with more cross-examination to morabito >>> the jury reached a verdict in the case of a man charged with inteionally running down a san francisco police officer who patrol two years ago. the verdict is scheduled to be read attack luck tomorrow morning in the case of the smith, 51-year-old willie flanigan. prosecutor say they arrested an down officer elia lewin henkel in a stolen suv in october 2017 . the police said he suffered a severe injury and is still getting treatment and colorado. the family members say he's made progress. >>> a group of seven residence is taking on city hall over plans to build a homeless navigation center on the embarcadero. they already lost an appeal at the board of supervisors, but now they fi

says it is about attacking derick almena's credibility but character assassination. the trial ended hours or of the early afternoon argumenta in which the sun found a used condom almost 2 years before the deadly warehouse fire. prosecution -- oakland police bodycam video shows element appearing say that his son founded . >> he a minor, this is an area that should've be do with the case and from my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> reporter: the prosecution has been hammering away at almond is -- almena's edibility. the d.a. accused him of lying to investigators after his arrest . >> i infer that as part of that strategy. to wear him down. to interrogation, you know, is, a necessity. my client called it duress. >> reporter: almena acknowledged he never got any permits for the changes he made to the warehouse nor were there safety devices like sprinklers or audible alarms. attorney mary alexander who is representing families in the civil lawsuits says almena is not doing himself any favors with his testimony . >> what almena and has done by going on th

. >> day two for derick almena in the ghost ship warehouse fire. today he said dozens of city officials went inside the building before the disaster. news reporter lesley brinkley was in court. >> reporter: for a second day, ghost ship founder derick almena took the stand in his defense. he pulled a list out of his jacket, a handwritten list his lwyer tony sarah says he made while sitting in jail for 2 1/2 years. on the list, names of dozens of city officials he said walked through the warehouse, including 16 visits by 28 police officers. and 13 members of oakland fire department who he testified came by five separate times. >> make no bones about it. we believe that the fire fire department perjured themself when they said they never went in. >> he described a pig roost and how three other firemen dropped in. sarah asked, did you ever hear you were in violation of fire code. >> never, he replied. they were enjoying themselves. referring to previous testimony from officials who said they never were in the building, he said they're good people and l

on cross-examination by the d.a., almena said a dog had found the condom. the prosecutor played body cam video, in which he appears to say it was his son who found it. >> he is a minor that's in an area that should have remained co case. and from my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> reporter: the prosecution has been hammering away at almena's credibility, confronting him repeatedly with inconsistent statements. the d.a. accused him of lying in a videotape interview with investigators after his arrest. >> i infer that that's p of strategy. you know, to wear him down. to interrogations of necessity. my client called it duress. >> reporter: almena acknowledged he never got any permits for the changes he made to the warehouse, nor were their safety devices like sprinklers or audible alarms. attorney maryland alexander, representing families of the civil lawsuits, says almena isn't doing himself any favors with the testimony. >> what almena has done by going on stand has proven the case against himself, but he's also proven that the city knew wh

derek almena said i rented the space in my name. the prosecutor accused him of playing the blame game. he responded i still don't want to blame anybody. the da referred to this interview he gave to ktvu from jail. in which he said the whole structure of his defense is pointing the blame.>>> the defense is confident they will prevail. >>> i don't think we were damage severely by the cross- examination. i think my clients come out pretty well. i think there is going to be reasonable doubt in the case.>> reporter: considering the magnitude of what is at stake this is probably the weakest case that has moved forward to jury trial. this level of death and destruction which occurs. >> reporter: the da will present rebuttal witnesses on monday. closing arguments won't start until july 29.>>> apollo also a 38-year-old transient abuse behind bars on suspicion of attacking him and his skateboard. tristan was arrested this afternoon on suspicion of two felonies. assault with a deadly weapon and making criminal threats. the victim told police h

derick almena taking the stand . >> and he is weeping. he's not a tough guy. he's an artist. and this has destroyed him as well as everyone else. >> reporter: what happened today was a rote roars full derick almena breaking down on the stand saying i'm tired, brokenhearted and just so sad. his attorney asked if you feel responsible and he said quote, yeah, i instigated something, build something, dreams something and i am responsible for having this idea. >> i asked him if he takes responsibility and he said, guess i do. >> law enforcement toward the building many times and never reported dangerous conditions. he also blasted the fire department for its response after one police officer's testimony earlier today. my god, did you hear what he had to say? set the fire department did come in the backyard but didn't have enough hose to get it in the building. >> when he was asked about the condition of the warehouse he said i believed it was safe and i was told it was safe. with no water, they tricked us. i was misled by the landlord. when asked, do you have sentiment for the peo

almena will be on the stand all week. anne. >>> we have learned facebook ceo mark zuckerberg's personal security chief is out. liam booth was accused of sexual misconduct and making racial remarks about zuckerberg's wife. >>> 5:08. federal help is on the way for victims of the southern california ridgecrest earthquakes where scenes like this were too common. customers and cooks bolting out of christy's family restaurant in ridgecrest. the 7.1 quake on friday shook the kitchen and the nerves of the people there. it is one of three breakfast places in that area that stayed opened after the quakes. a 6.4 earthquake the day before already had people on edge. >>> we have one on life 9 months pregnant w no hospital here we had to do something in case this shook her into labor. >> video from the back seat shows them robbing around in therobbing around in the car like it's a boat. the damage is clear in these before and after satellite images. yesterday, restoration crews began the difficult task of fixing collapsed ceilings and

for the last few months, almena's attorney has been diagnose all the talking, but tomorrow almena wille his own version of what led to the fire that killed 36 people at a warehouse dance party back in 2016. nbc bay area's legal analyst says it's likely almena will express remorse and then point the blame at the city and the landlord. >> this is a big risk for the defense, but it's a risk they need to take. the prosecution has spent the entire trial demonizing derick almena, and he needs to get on the stand and explain to this jury who he is. >> this will actually not be the first time almena has spoken publicly since being charged. he angered many of the victims' families last year saying he would have given up his life and his children's lives to save the victims. his attorney is counting on almena leaving a better impression this time on the stand. >>> right now a live look outside on this sunday night. reasonably clear, as we take a peek at the golden gate bridge with light drizzle out there. the start of your workweek, expect some cooling changes. here to tell us all about it. >> a

after another day on the stand, go shipmaster tenant derick almena finished being cross- examined by prosecutors and the defense rested in the case. tony serra, almena's defense attorney compared the cross- examination to water torture. >> same question over and over and over again. you know, methodology that the judge should have intervened on. >> reporter: his codefendant, max harris, never took the stand in his own defense. his attorney says alameda the december 2016 ng blaine deaths of 36 people inside the warehouse. by prosecuting harris and al mena. >> if the theory is what happened at the warehouse caused these deaths, then the people responsible should have been brought to trial in their entirety, in their totality, that did not happen. these men have never had a fair trial. >> reporter: also not making an appearance, the ghost ship owners or electricians who worked on the property. in red this afternoon prosecutors once again played body camera video from opd where almena was told he needed conditional use permit to run parties in the warehouse and got almena to admit he had

the defense delivered closing ats telling the jury almena and harris are scape goats. the defense maintains there is reasonable doubt is not enough evidence to convict. >> reporter: grateful, relieved, his story was told, he felt connected with the jury. >> reporter: in his final pitch to the jury, curtis brigs blasted the da's case against his client max harris and said this was enough reasonable doubt to found him not guilty. he said harris never signed the lease and didn't promote the music event the night of the fire and didn't design the lay without of the warehouse. over and over, brigs pretended to be the da saying convict max anyway. >> i kept talking about the ironies and contradictions in this case and pointing -- they want to convict harris. >> reporter: brigs reminded the jury that oak land police and firefighters and cps workers visited the ghost ship. the trained professionals didn't see any problems, prigs brigs argued, how would harris be expected to know? >> they seem to think it was safe. if the standard of guilt is what a reasonable person would do,

almena claims to have called 911 as the deadly fire broke out in december of 2016. a former oakland police officer says he didn't recognize almena's voice on any of the 911 recordings. he also said almena did not run to get a fire extinguisher like he testified, but instead he ran to get his cell phone. to find out when a verdict is reached in the case, download our app and we will send out a push alert when that news breaks. >>> and then assault and robbery at san jose university. surveillance images show the two wanted men. the incident happened around 11:00 this morning at the west parking garage. the men assaulted the victim and stole his backpack and shoes. if you recognize them contact the police department. >>> and then a couple has moved into the rebuilt home, and that's the first one in the town certified as liveable. the house is larger and has more amenities than the home that burned down in november. the camp fire destroyed more than 1,100 homes in paradise alone. the town has issued 84 building permits so far. >>> a restaurant owner in the south bay is

almena often appeared agitated in today's questioning. the victim families those are not buying it. >> because he's such a weasel. he speaks around his answers. i saw him the night of the fire. i saw him at 3:00 in the morning ride up on a child's bicycle screaming the f-word and he said oh, my stuff! while i'm watching the building burn and my daughter is trapped inside. >> the defense attorney says almena is an artist and answering questions directly could be difficult for him. >>> the body of a missing american scientist has been found on the island of crete. 59-year-old susan eaton was born in oakland and worked at the max plank institute in the germany and was last seen about a week ago while attending a conference. colleagues say she went for a run and disappeared soon after. tonight the cause of death is still under investigation. >>> new concerns tonight about what firefighters were exposed when they put out one of the state's worst wildfires. the crews who rushed to napa and sonoma counties the battle the tubbs fire in 2017 were

almena said a dog found that litter. but a prosecutor played body cam video from oakland police, where almena appears to say, no, his son found it. >> he is a minor that is an area that should have remained confidential. it has absolutely nothing to do with this case. and from my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> the prosecution has been calling derek almena's credibility into question, repeatedly confronting him with that what they called inconsistent statements made in the past. >> fairfield police want your help to find a missing woman. i want to show you a photo of 57-year-old diane erickson. she was last seen leaving the north bay medical center on saturday june 29th. she's diagnosed with a mental health condition that requires medication. and she reportedly does not have that medication with her. ms. erickson is known to spend time in fairfield and vallejo. there's her photo. if you have any information, contact fairfield police. >>> communities in ridgecrest and trona. they have running water this

. >>> defendant derick almena is expected to return to the courtroom today.e and max harris face 36 charges of manslaughter. almena told jurors he's mostly isolated in his jail cell over the last two years and he feels morally and spiritually responsible for the 2016 tragedy. here is his attorney later outside the courtroom. >> when you put on a client, it's kind of like having a baby. you don't know, you know, what's going to happen. we're hoping that, you know, he will redeem himself with his testimony. >> almena puts the blame on the building's owner. he claims theam to make the necessary renovations and he decided to make the upgrades on his own. >>> a lot of people are sleeping under the stars in southern california after that pair of powerful earthquakes shook the area. homes like this one that went up in flames are still in shambles this morning. >>> as help starts pouring in to the hardest hit towns people are struggling to find a way to get back to normal. >> "today in the bay's" cheryl hurd is in ridgecrest with a look at the cleanup. >> reporter: t

today was almena's last day on the stand.elissa colorado joins us with more on his testimony. >> reporter: for more than two months we've not heard a peep from theamyembers of the victims in the courtroom, but today we actually heard them laugh. they were scoffing at derrick almena when he says he doesn't blame anybody for the fire and him.ords from the past came deputy district was played where almena said the whole point of his defense is pointing and blaming and he also claimed that no one ever warned him the warehouse was a death trap contradicting what a construction work said on the stand two months ago. grace kim lost her cousin in the fire and said it was frustrating to hear almena lie on the stand. >> we have to sit here listening to these two people who can't tell the truth and i hope that the jurors see that, and we want justice. >> of course, they are comforting him and saying you did good, you did as well as can be done under the circumstances. >> okay. melissa, closing statements begin tomorrow night. how do we

he doesn't deserve to be in jail. >> reporter: after the defense for derick almena rest, the jury willr closing arguments before eventually reaching a verdict. henry lee, ktvu fox2 news. >>> billionaire financier jeffrey epstein is expected to appear in a federal court tomorrow following his arrest yesterday on new sex trafficking charges. epstein is accused of paying underaged girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in palm beach, florida and new york. the allegations date back to the early 2000's. epstein is already a registered sex offender after pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution back in 2008. he was able to strike a deal in that case, avoiding a possible life sentence. instead, he was sentenced to 13 months in jail. before that plea deal, the new york times reported that epstein had been friendly with donald trump, former president bill clinton and prince andrew. >>> coming up, we will tell you how immigration officials are responding to reports that border detention centers are unsafe. >>> and temperatures out there on the cool side today. as we mov

up next, derick almena's emotional testimony in his manslaughter trial. >>> also a plan to eradicatehat involves a lot of poison. details on how it works, coming up. >> i turned it was like a truck or car just hit me on the side of the head. >> reporter: a san francisco man describes the exact moment he was hit and gored by a bull in pamplona spain. why doctors say it is miraculous he survived. introducing my new spicy chicken strips combo. bigger, tastier strips of juicy chicken with crunchy batter. spice them up with hot sauce or cool them down with buttermilk ranch. try my 100% all-white meat spicy chicken strips combo today. only at jack in the box. whoa. travis in it made it. it's amazing. oh is that travis's app? it's pretty cool, isn't it? there's two of them. they're multiplying. no, guys, its me. see, i'm real. i'm real! he thinks he's real. geico. over 75 years of savings and service. ♪ try my $4.99 barbeque bacon double cheeseburger combo. >>> ghost ship master tenant, derick almena took the stand today in highly anticipated testimony. he is trying to convince the jury tha

. >>> and the ghost ship trial in oakland, defendant derick almena returned to the witness stand today where he was cross-examined by prosecutors. he blamed the city of oakland for the fire that killed 36 people in december 2016. he testified that officers, firefighters, and other city officials had made numerous visits to the warehouse and effectively signed off on the safety of that building. at one point almena accused oakland fire officials of lying. >> make no bones about it, we believe that the fire department perjured themselves when they said they never went in. my client has itemized, you know, where law enforcement and officials have gone in approximately 30 times. >> almena is expected to be on the witness stand for the rest of this week under cross examination. >>> people seeking asylum are now being sent to a fourth city in mexico while their cases are being heard. the first -- today under a new trump administration policy they will have to wait in mexico as their applications are processed. the u.s. and mexico reached the deal as part of an agreement to prevent new tariff

almena defended the layout of the warehouse saying it was not a maze. cps workers, firefighters and police officers, even teachers toured the warehouse and no one warned him that it was unsafe. >> he is such a poor actor. he doesn't know how to fake it very well. children fake tears better than he does. >> that's the mother of one of the victims of that fire. almena also said he was instructed by one of the co-owners of the warehouse to lie to authorities and say no one was living inside the ghost ship. >>> a memorial will get under way in the next half hour for a young doctor killed in a fiery crash on the fourth of july. ethan sellers had graduated just a few days prior from his residency program. friends and colleagues say the walnut creek man was a talented doctor and a compassionate person. police say the 29-year-old drove his car into a pole in dublin and that speed was a factor in the crash. the crash killed sellers and his packager matthew mchenry. the loss devastated those close with sellers. >> we went from such a joyful and happy celebration

the prosecution has spent the entire trial demonizing derick almena. he needs to get on the stand and explain to this jury who he is. >> it won't be the first time he's spoken publicly since he was charged. he angered families his life and children's lives in order to save thedoff ended peaceful l in san jose. officers were called to check on a dispute at a homeh firearm involved and reports of someone held against their will. eightrs a woman inside walked out. police are not saying who will be charged. >>> happening today house speaker nancy pelosi will address the issue of election security, ahead of the 2020 presidential race. pelosi is holding a news conference this morning in san francisco with other lawmakers. they'll also discuss the recent passage of the securing america's election act. the bill aims to protect u.s. elections from future foreign interference. recently special counsel robert mueller's report determined russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. >>> new details now, a san francisco man is among three people who were gored

a mana derick almena says a dog found the condom. >> he is a minor. it is an area that should have remained confidential. it has nothing to do with this case. from my perspective, it was a disgrace to bring it up. >> reporter: the prosecution has been hammering away at derrico menace credibility. the d.a. accused him of lying in a videotaped interview with investigators after his arrest. >> i infer that that is part of strategy. you know, to wear him down. to interrogation, you know, is, a necessity pick my client called it duress. >> reporter: derek coleman acknowledged he never got permits for the changes he made to the warehouse, nor were they safetyevices like sprinklers or audible alarms. attorney mary alexander who is representing families of the victims in civil lawsuit says almena is not doing himself any favors with this testimony . >> what almena has done by going on the stand has really proven the case against himself but he has also proven that the city knew what was going on and in this building. >> reporter: after almena is done testifyi

>>derick almena looked like he was going to be sick.y first question just to say and spell his first and last name and he couldn't even get through that he was crying before selling all the entire courtroom was in silence as he wiped away tears. >>wearing a navy blue suit solo been in his hair derick almena the master tenant of the ghost ship warehouse took the stand in his own trial for the very first time monday afternoon. he looked terrified, sitting up in front of the courtroom after breaking down spelling his name his attorney tony serra and asked how he was doing. oh man has said he was tired broken hearted and just so sad

derick almena was the last witness for the defense. almena and co-defendant max harris face 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter charges for the 2016 fire in oakland. prosecutors say they let people live in the warehouse... >>> the coast guard crew will return to the home base in almena after seizing hundreds of millions of cain. you may remember this of the chase involving crew members of the cut ear monroe. crew members jumped into a moving semi submersible vessel. >> these vessels are very difficult to get on to, especially when they're non-compliant, there's no rails, no safety features. once they do get on board, they don't know what's going to be waiting for them down below. they open the hatch and you never know if these folks are going to be violent or if they're going to have weapons. >> the coast guard arrested five smuggling suspects and seized 17,000 pounds of cocaine, worth about $230 million on the street. >>> it's 4:35. happening today, amazon prime day is in full swing already. deals are available to prime members only

for the last few months, almena's attorney has been doing all of the talking but today almena will giveestimony on what led to the fire that killed 36 people at that warehouse dance party back in 2016. nbc bay area legal analyst says it's likely almena will express remorse but then point the blame at the city and the landlord. >> this is a big risk for the defense but it's a risk they need to take. the prosecution has spent the entire trial demonizing derick almena. he needs to get on the stand and explain to this jury who he is. >> this won't be the first time he's spoken publicly since he was charged. he angered many of the victim's families last year when he said he would have given up his life and children's lives in order to save the victims. >>> this morning, two families are out of their homes, after a fire ripped through two houses in contra costa county. it happened on old rogers ranch court in pleasant hill yesterday. firefighters say the fire started between the two homes and then quickly spread in both directions, but they don't know what sparked those flames. neighbors watc

almena is charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter.ve been covering the ghost ship fire since it began last month. be the first to find out when the case goes to the jury and when a verdict is reached. >>> and in the east bay, the oakland city council has unanimously approved a new policy for police searches of people on parole or probation. officers will no longer be able to immediately ask about a person's probation or parole status during an interaction unless there is a threat to a public safety. there have been differences with the cityould be. >>> new developments in the case a san franci call the ride share rapist. the man has attack four women and posed as a driver for a ride-hailing service and a public defender said police illegally got the sample of his dna during a traffic stop last year. the "san francisco chronicle" reports the attorney has field a motion to suppress the dna evidence. >>> the former dixie school district in marin county is now the miller creek elementary school district. supporters of the name change argu

for the last few months, almena's attorney has been doing all of the talking but today almena will give testimony on what led to the fire that killed 36 people at that warehouse dance party back in 2016. nbc bay area legal analyst steven clark says it's likely almena will express remorse but then point the blame at the city and the landlord. >> this is a big risk for the defense but it's a risk they need to take. the prosecution has spent the entire trial demonizing derick almena. he needs to get on the stand and explain to this jury who he is. >> this of course is not the first time he's spoken publicly since he was charged. he angered a lot of the victim's families last year when he said he would have given up his life and children's lives in order to save the victims. >>> one of the south bay's swankier streets is going on a diet. so here's what i'm talking about. if you drive, walk or shop along north santa cruz avenue in downtown los gatos you'll see big changes. "today in the bay's" bob redell is out there live to explain why. bob? >> reporter: marcus, north santa cruz avenue, the