Trial of National Guardsman killed in 2009 finally underway

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The trial of a Massachusetts man charged with killing a National Guard soldier from Connecticut eight years ago just before he deployed to Iraq has started.

The Republican newspaper reports that the prosecution and defense made opening statements Tuesday in the murder trial of Michal Rodriguez.

Authorities say the Holyoke man shot 25-year-old Julian Cartie, a former high school football star in New Britain, Connecticut, in Springfield in February 2009.

The prosecutor in openings said Cartie, his brother and a friend were headed to a chicken restaurant after a night out just before Cartie was sent overseas when he got into a confrontation with Rodriguez.

A defense attorney said the shooting was self-defense, and Cartie was drunk and aggressive as he approached Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was not arrested until in 2014.

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Information from: The Springfield (Mass.) Republican, http://www.masslive.com/news/