Vicente Camacho
THE bench trial for a 2021 assault case involving former Rep. Vicente C. Camacho and co-defendant Teipo A. Nikiti will begin today.
Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Govendo will be presiding over the trial.
Camacho, 64, and Nikiti, 24, were charged with assault and battery and disturbing the peace. Camacho is represented by attorney Michael White while Nikiti is represented by Assistant Public Defender Emily Thomsen. Assistant Attorney General Daniel Johnson is the prosecutor.
According to the prosecution, the victim, Steven Koch, suffered abrasions, bruising and pain on his head and body from the blows following the incident on Oct. 29, 2021.
Previously, Chief Prosecutor Chester Hinds told the court that Koch was unavailable to testify because of physical illness.
Asked whether Koch will testify, Hinds told Variety, “Yes complainant will testify by video.”
TRO
Following the incident, Koch, his wife and daughter sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Camacho and three other individuals “from engaging in any further physical harm, disturbance, harassment, blocking, threats and verbal abuse.”
The three other individuals are Ignacio “Ike” S. Concepcion, Fiel Reynaldo Ortiz, and Teipo A. Nikiti.
The court granted the TRO, which expired on Nov. 8, 2022.
The incident stemmed from a long-standing animosity between Koch and his brother-in-law, Concepcion, and took place near their homes on Freedom Drive in Chinatown. Concepcion is Camacho’s friend.
