Accused murderer Gustavo Morales was ‘explosive’ and violent when drinking, witnesses testify.

Two women who know Gustavo Morales, the man now standing trial for the murder of Salinas Police Department officer Jorge “JD” Alvarado, testified that he would become violent when he drank alcohol—including Morales’ former partner, who said he assaulted her “many” times.

Morales’ trial continued Wednesday, Oct. 18, with testimonies from witnesses including Jane Doe, a 31-year-old Salinas woman whose identity was protected by Monterey County prosecutors. Doe—who said she and Morales lived together between 2011 and 2013 and share two children—testified that Morales would get “aggressive” when he drank, including instances when he would choke her and punch her in the face.

“There were so many [times] I don’t have a count,” Doe said on the witness stand. She recounted that the first time Morales hit her was when she told him she was pregnant with their child, and that the violence continued throughout her pregnancy and after their children were born, on occasions when Morales had been drinking.

Doe, who lived with Morales at the homes of his relatives, said she eventually "ran away" from Morales after he choked her while she was breastfeeding their 3-month-old daughter and the child almost fell from her arms. “He doesn’t think, he just acts,” she testified of his behavior under the influence. “He can’t control it.”

Doe later filed a restraining order against Morales after an incident in May 2019, when she arrived at his parents’ Salinas residence to pick up their son, who had been visiting with Morales. She testified that amid an argument over Morales’ decision to take their son for a haircut, he grabbed her by the hair and struck her in the face with a fist multiple times until she lost consciousness. 

The matter of Morales’ behavior under the influence of alcohol is relevant because prosecutors claim he was drunk when he shot Alvarado a dozen times during a traffic stop near the intersection of Griffin and East Market streets in Salinas on the night of Feb. 25, 2022. Morales’ defense—as heard by the jury when he took the witness stand earlier this week—is that he feared for his life due to having previously been beaten by Salinas police officers.

The incident at the center of Morales’ claim of police brutality was also detailed on Wednesday, when Morales’ cousin and former neighbor Juanita Perez took the stand. Perez testified that Morales would repeatedly become “explosive” and threatening toward her when he drank—including threats against her life that led her to also file a restraining order against him. 

“I didn’t feel safe from Gustavo,” Perez said. “When he was drinking, he was a totally different person.” She added that when Morales was sober, “he was calm, normal.”

Perez recounted that in December 2018, Morales confronted her outside of their Salinas apartment building and said “he was going to fuck me up, he was going to kill me.” She then called the police, who arrived and arrested Morales after an altercation that saw him “actively resisting” arrest, Salinas police officer Chayenne Garcia testified Wednesday.

Garcia said that after he and other officers arrived on the scene, they approached Morales in his car and smelled alcohol. He said a “scuffle” ensued after Morales defied orders and reached for his car keys, with officers pulling Morales out of his car and attempting to subdue him. The altercation saw Garcia and Morales slip to the ground, where the officer unsuccessfully tried to fire a Taser at Morales, who shoved the Taser away, Garcia testified. Garcia confirmed that he and two other officers punched Morales in the face and head around 30 times before they eventually handcuffed him and stopped using force.

Doe, Perez and Garcia were all called to the stand by prosecutors after Morales’ defense attorneys rested their case earlier Wednesday. The trial resumes Thursday morning, Oct. 19, with further witness testimonies. The Monterey County District Attorney’s Office is not seeking the death penalty for Morales, who faces life in prison without parole.