SLO man accused of murder had injuries to his hands and face — but not from a fight, he said
The man on trial for allegedly beating an unhoused San Luis Obispo resident to death and jamming sticks into his body had injuries on his hands and face but said they weren’t from a fight, a detective testified Friday.
Marco Antonio Cota Jr., 45, told detectives that the wounds on his hands were from hitting trees and light poles and that he had never seen the person he’s accused of killing before.
Cota is accused of murdering 64-year-old Rick Fowler on Nov. 20, 2021. At the time, the two were both unhoused and camping in the creekbed near the interchange at Highway 101 and Madonna Road..
Photos showed Fowler’s head beaten to the point it was misshapen. His body was found lying face-down in the dirt with his pants pulled down below his buttocks and sticks protruding from his eyes, rectum and neck, a retired San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office coroner detective testified.
The prosecution alleged Cota murdered Fowler while in a rage, while the defense argued Cota killed Fowler in self-defense.
Cota is charged with murder and mutilation of human remains. He faces up to a life sentence in state prison if convicted.
Defendant claims he was hurt by hitting trees, light poles
San Luis Obispo Police Department Det. Caleb McCornack was the lead detective on the case, he testified Friday.
He said he helped respond to the scene and collect evidence. He also interviewed Cota the night Fowler’s body was discovered.
Cota had injuries to his hands and face, photos showed.
A photo of his fists showed swelling and redness on the top of the hands and fingers. Some scratches and abrasions were also seen on his knuckles.
Cota had a blister toward the top of his right hand, photos showed, and scratches on the heel of his left palm. He also had scratches on the right side of his face and below his right eye.
His right hand is his dominant hand, Cota told McCornack in an interview played in court.
In the interview, Cota said the injuries to his hands were from punching trees and light poles. When asked about the injuries on his face, Cota told McCornack he was unaware of the injuries or how he got them.
Suspect initially denied knowing what happened to SLO man beaten to death
Cota told McCornack he had only been camping in the creekbed for about three days, according to the interview played in court. He was staying with a woman who had a tent there, he said. There were three to four people at another campsite around 30 feet away.
Cota said that on the morning of Nov. 19, 2021, he had left the campsite early in the morning and returned to find his stuff had been rummaged through.
Cota said he only got in one minor altercation that day, which was when he intervened with a man in his 20s who was throwing stuff at his girlfriend at the nearby campsite.
In the interview, Cota said he “doinked” or “fist-popped” the man in the face to help defend the woman.
“I’m not an offender. I’m a defender,” he told McCornack.
He left the campsite again and didn’t return until between 3 and 4 a.m., Cota said in the interview. He said he was in the tent all night with the woman and only left briefly once to go toward the water in the creek.
Cota did not see or hear anything out of the ordinary, he told McCornack.
During the interview, Cota began to get frustrated and said “the system” was unfair and people always put things “in his path” to mess with him.
Another detective in the interview told Cota they were interviewing him about someone being “beat up” and dead in the creek, and Cota denied knowing anything about it.
He said he did not see or hear anything that sounded like a fight or would be related to the death of the man.
When asked whether he hurt the man in self-defense, Cota reaffirmed that he had not seen, heard or done anything.
Cota’s next interview with McCornack was on Nov. 22, 2021. In that interview, he told McCornack that he gets medication injections for his mental health.
He said he has PTSD, anger, depression and anxiety, but added that he knows right from wrong even when he is not medicated. Cota said he has a tendency to get angry, but not violent.
When McCornack showed Cota a photo of Fowler, Cota said he did not recognize the man. McCornack told Cota two witnesses reported seeing Cota and Fowler speaking that night, but Cota reiterated that he did not recognize Fowler.
Witness testimony will resume Monday at 1:30 p.m.
