Vicente Camacho
FORMER Rep. Vicente C. Camacho denied that he assaulted Steven Koch on the evening of Oct. 29, 2021.
Camacho and Teipo A. Nikiti are accused of assaulting Steven Koch.
During the bench trial on Tuesday, Camacho was asked by Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds if the former lawmaker punched Koch.
“I certainly did not,” Camacho said.
“Did you put your knee on Koch’s neck?” Hinds asked.
Camacho said, “I think I answered no to that already.”
Hinds asked, “And you definitely did not punch Koch in the face and head?”
“No, not at all,” Camacho added.
A former Commonwealth Ports Authority master electrician, Koch testified on Monday that on the night of the incident, after a routine walk with his daughter, they passed the house of his brother-in-law, Ignacio Concepcion, and saw Camacho coming out of the driveway.
Koch said he told Camacho to stop calling CPA.
Koch said Camacho had called his work and made a complaint about Koch driving recklessly.
Koch said he later felt three individuals following him and his daughter. He said the three were Camacho, Camacho’s minor son, and Nikiti.
Koch said when he turned, he saw Camacho about to lunge at him. He said he grabbed Camacho’s hands, and they struggled, ending up on the ground by the side of the road.
Koch said he felt blow after blow on his head. He said he must have blacked out.
On cross-examination, Koch said he did not actually see who punched him. He also said that he had never seen or met Nikiti before the incident.
After the incident, Koch was taken to the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation for examination.
The prosecution said Koch, who had health issues, suffered abrasions, bruising, and pain on his head and body from the blows due to the incident.
In his testimony on Tuesday, Camacho said Koch was carrying a whip and lashed him with it and injured him.
He said he grabbed the whip, and they struggled and fell to the ground.
Camacho said his son, and Nikiti were not near them as they struggled. He said they did not help subdue Koch, who is 6’1” tall.
Koch’s daughter earlier told police that she saw her father being taken to the ground by Camacho while he was held by Nikiti and the juvenile.
She said Camacho, Nikiti and the juvenile punched her father on his head.
She said she was near Camacho, and she could smell a strong odor of beer in his exhaled breath.
Camacho is represented by attorney Michael White while Nikiti is represented by Assistant Public Defender Emily Thomsen.
Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Govendo is presiding over the bench trial, which started on Monday.
Thomsen told the court that the defense has one more witness to call, Camacho’s minor son.
The bench trial will resume today, Wednesday at 9 a.m.
