Victim’s mother testifies in 2019 Rochester murder trial

(ABC 6 News) – Witness testimony wrapped up Monday in the jury trial of a 25-year old Rochester man who’s charged with aiding and abetting 2nd-degree murder in a fatal shooting that happened in 2019.

Court ended on an emotional note with jurors hearing from the victim, Garad Roble’s mom. She broke down in tears on the stand while talking about her son.

Roble’s body was found on March 5, 2019, on the 2300 block of 4th St SE in Rochester. He was shot eleven times.

Testimony started with Detective Chad Winters from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office. He went over cell phone tower data for two phones associated with Iman that place him at the location, and the time, Roble died.

FBI Special Agent Daniel Harris is on the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST) and also took the stand. He testified to a specific map and timeline of the night Roble died by using cell phone towers around Rochester — mapping out the movements of phones associated with Roble, Iman, and Iman’s co-defendant, Muhidin Abukar. Olmsted County Attorney Andrew LeTourneau argued that this evidence shows the three men were together that night.

During cross-examination, however, the agent admitted the two phones authorities tracked for Iman were associated with him, but they could not confirm that he owned them.

The last person called to the stand was Roble’s mother, who described Garad as a happy child and said that he "trusted everybody."

After her testimony, the state rested its case, and jurors were instructed to take a break — walking past Roble’s family and friends who were gathered together in tears.

The defense called two witnesses from the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office who investigated Roble’s death. Neither could testify to physical evidence of Iman being at the scene of the crime that night.

The defense used Detective Zachari Wagner to point out what they said were inconsistencies in a key witness — Aaliyah Lamb’s — testimony.

Lamb was the only person to testify to seeing Iman together with Roble and Abukar the night of March 4.

Court resumes Tuesday with closing arguments, then the case will be handed down to the jury for deliberation.

Iman’s co-defendant, Muhadin Abukar, faced trial in December of last year and ended in a mistrial.