Witnesses who were once enrolled at Belton High School recalled during the trial that the defendant, accused of the 2022 murder of a fellow student in a school restroom altercation, was reluctant to engage in the fight.
Prosecutors asserted that Caysen Allison, 18 at the time, fatally stabbed 18-year-old Jose Luis “Joe” Ramirez Jr. in the midst of a physical confrontation involving multiple students on the 18th of May, 2022, at Belton High School in Belton, as previously covered by CrimeOnline.
Police arrested Allison shortly after the incident and found a folding knife at his home, covered in what appeared to be blood.
Among the individuals present in the restroom when the incident transpired were former students of Belton High School named Tito Shamel and Angel Morillo, in addition to Allison and Ramirez, totaling six individuals. The disagreement that unraveled into the violent altercation was rooted in a dispute concerning a girl.
Shamel testified that he had a close friendship with Ramirez and saw the confrontation as it unfolded in the restroom. He told the court he recorded part of the incident on his phone.
Jurors viewed the video footage in court on Tuesday, according to KWTX.
Shamel said the video showed Ramirez throwing the first punch at Allison. He said the footage then showed Allison pulling out a knife before a loud scream is heard and the video cuts off.
Reina Barber, a friend of Allison and acquaintance of Ramirez, also testified. She said she attempted to defuse the situation by calming Ramirez shortly before the fight began.
Barber said Ramirez and his friends had a reputation for getting into fights., adding that Ramirez often wanted his fights filmed. He said the fight with Allison had been arranged in advance, but wasn’t planned to happen at school.
Barber testified that Allison didn’t usually carry a knife but had one that day because he told her he got it for self-defense.
“Caysen survived what could have very well been death or bodily injury by a group beat down,” defense attorney Zachary Boyd said during opening statements, adding that the defendant was “in the fight for his life when he was jumped by five friends.”
The prosecution argued earlier this week that Allison claimed he only stabbed Ramirez once, but a hospital exam indicated that the has stab wounds to his chest, legs, arms, and back. Witnesses described earlier this week seeing the victim with “gaping wound across his left chest.” after he fled from the bathroom, bleeding profusely.
Meanwhile, Ramirez’s mother previously told KWTX that her son and the defendant had planned to have a weapons-free fight after school and off-campus, which sparked over an issue at prom.
“With my boys, I always feared that they’d get in a fight. The world is just getting uglier. People don’t just solve things and move on, they go to this extent for just the stupidest reasons, over a girl,” the mother said, adding that she had never heard of the defendant prior to the fight.
“We never even knew this was a problem. Nobody talked to us. My boys didn’t tell me anything about what happened at prom.”
If convicted, Allison could face life behind bars.
The trial continues. Check back for updates.
[Feature Photos: Joe Ramirez/Handout; Caysen Allison/Benton County PD]
