HOUSTON, Texas – On the 11th day of the civil trial against the parents of Dimitrios Pagourtzis, who is accused of the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting, the defense presented a gun cabinet and safe from his home.
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The trial is filled with emotional testimonies from the families of the 10 victims, calling for Pagourtzis’ parents to be held accountable.
Pagourtzis, who is currently incompetent to stand trial, is accused of opening fire at the Santa Fe High School in 2018, killing 10 people. The parents and loved ones of the 10 killed are now calling for his parents to be held responsible for the shooting, as well.
KPRC 2 has covered the trial since day 1, bringing you extensive details from the courtroom.
5 p.m. - Court adjourns and testimony concludes for the day
4:22 p.m. - Court back in session and jury was seated. Vasiliki Gerbesoti, Dimitrios Pagourtzis’ youngest sister resumes testimony
Gerbesoti said she never saw the change in Dimitrios behavior, hygiene or attitude toward.
Laid pushed back, asking if she noticed a tattoo of a cross Dimitrios had on his hand that he had carved by cutting himself. She said she did not see it or ever heard of him talking about the Columbine shooting.
Gerbesoti said Dimitrios’ best friend was his mother and an outfriend friend he knew since elementary school. She said she didn’t agree with the assumption that Dimitrios didn’t have any friends.
Gerbesoti stated that Dimitrios was taken by their parents to see regular doctor visits and that there were no signs of problems.
She also said that her father never lost his temper and never felt threatened by his presence.
Gerbesoti said the night before the mass shooting, she stayed at the house in Alvin after her mom dropped her off at her cousin’s house. She said she caught the bus to school and when she got in, a teacher told her there was a shooting in Santa Fe and that she needed to call her mother.
She said she tried and then got on a bus for a field trip to Schlitterbahn, stating that she felt like something was wrong because a lot of people started following her on Instagram.
“I was getting a lot of random messages,” Gerbesoti said.
She said her mother’s voice went from panic to sadness when she did get in contact with her.
She said she wanted to get picked up and her my sister picked her up and told her Dimitrios is “all right he is just in some trouble.”
Gerbesoti was told Dimitrios was involved in the shooting, but still wasn’t sure what that meant. Then her sister said he was the shooter.
Gerbesoti reaction was, “I said he wouldn’t do that.”
4:00 p.m. - Court in recess
3:03 p.m. - Court resumes. Lori Laid calls Vasiliki Gerbesoti, Dimitrios Pagourtzis’ youngest sister to the stand
Vasiliki Gerbesoti, Dimitrios Pagourtzis’s sister, described a close-knit family where their father loved to cook and was a best friend to them. She said the family attended church regularly, prayed together, and described her relationship with Dimitrios as “close.” Gerbesoti said that their father was passionate but not easily angered or abusive, and their mother was caring, though sometimes a bit of a “helicopter parent.”
Gerbesoti recalled her brother having friends in junior high, participating in sports, and not being afraid of crowds. She said their family spent a lot of time together and supported each other’s activities. She also said discipline in the family was fair and involved taking away phones or gaming consoles.
Gerbesoti said she was unaware of DP getting into trouble at school, talking to himself or collecting weapons. She mentioned that DP spent time in his room but didn’t notice anything concerning, and VG didn’t see any signs that something was wrong with her brother.
She also mentioned when she attended Santa Fe Junior High School how she was bullied and decided to leave the school but her brother refused and stayed.
Gerbesoti then recounted an incident where DP repeatedly locked his bedroom door, leading their parents to remove the door from its hinges a few months before the shooting. She said she only saw her brother wear a trench coat once when he showed it to their mom, and she was unaware he wore it to school.
When asked about the Amazon packages, she said her brother would pick them up before their parents got home.
Six months before the shooting, Gerbesoti said both of their grandmothers were in poor health, and their uncle committed suicide a month before the shooting.
Gerbesoti said no one would have expected DP to commit the shooting.
2:44 p.m. - Court in recess
2:15 p.m. - Robert Torres, DP’s attorney is now questioning Antonios (AP)
During questioning by DP’s attorney, Robert Torres, AP was asked if his wife and daughters lied when they spoke to Dr. Peterson. AP responded that he couldn’t answer with a simple yes or no. Torres then showed pictures of DP smiling and not smiling at Christmas, asking if AP noticed DP losing his smile, which AP denied.
Torres confirmed with AP that DP had access to the keys to the gun safe and asked if AP felt any responsibility for what happened, to which AP firmly said no. Torres brought up DP’s claim to Dr. Peterson that he was an “MK-Ultra assassin” and that the CIA would stage his death, which AP denied, saying just because his son said those things, doesn’t make them true.
When asked about the requirement to lock up guns, AP stated that he locked them up regardless and believed he did so reasonably. Torres questioned if AP believed his daughters were truthful in what they told Dr. Peterson, and AP expressed uncertainty.
AP concluded his testimony, and the court took a 10-minute recess.
1:58 p.m. - Court back in session - AP testimony continues
The plaintiff’s attorney Alton Todd questioned AP about a report by Dr. Bradley Peterson, an expert hired by the defense who examined DP and interviewed the family after the shooting. AP stated he hadn’t seen the report but believed some of its findings, such as claims of outbursts and fits of rage, were incorrect.
Todd asked AP about various behaviors in his other children, such as fear of crowds, problems with eye contact, and unusual habits like shoulder shrugging or making grunting sounds. AP denied that any of his children, including DP, exhibited these behaviors. He also stated that his daughters occasionally locked themselves in their rooms, but never to the point of concern, and there were no issues with their hygiene.
When asked if he told Dr. Peterson that he knew something was wrong with DP but didn’t know how to fix it, AP denied ever making that statement.
12:45 p.m. - Lunch break
12:20 p.m. - Laird passed the witness. The plaintiff’s attorney Clint McGuire begins questioning Antonios (AP)
During questioning by the plaintiff’s attorney Clint McGuire, AP was asked if he would have noticed three shotguns missing. AP said he would, and then McGuire pointed out that three guns did go missing unnoticed. When asked if a responsible gun owner would keep keys in a hard-to-find place, AP responded that if someone wanted to find or steal something, they would.
McGuire mentioned that DP told a doctor he found the keys on top of the gun cabinet, suggesting irresponsibility, but AP denied leaving the keys there. McGuire then asked about violence in the home, including frequent outbursts, threats, and breaking objects. AP denied these accusations, even though DP’s family allegedly reported them to a doctor.
McGuire also referred to DP’s journal, which mentioned marital conflict and his mother being unable to afford a divorce, but AP denied there was any conflict or that his wife had ever threatened to leave. When confronted with DP’s 57 unexcused absences in 11th grade, AP claimed the school never contacted him, and his wife didn’t mention it.
The defense then questioned the source of this information, leading to an approach at the bench.
12:03 p.m. - Judge resumes court
Laird continues to question Antonios.
AP revealed that he only heard his son, DP, complain about bullying once and did not notice any signs of depression or plans for a shooting in the days leading up to the incident. AP expressed deep regret, wishing he could have stopped the tragedy, and broke down in tears, acknowledging the suffering of the families involved, including his own.
On the day of the shooting, AP said that he went to the school to look for his son, unaware that he was the shooter. Upon realizing it, he offered to go in, hoping DP would kill him instead of others. AP said he stayed at the scene and fully cooperated with the police, stating that if he had done something wrong, he would have left or hidden.
When asked if his son should be held accountable for what he did, the father answered “I don’t know,” but he did recognize that many lives, including his own, were destroyed that day.
11: 30 a.m. - Break
10:30 a.m. - Defense begins presenting case. Lori Laird calls DP’s father, Antonios Pagourtzis to the stand
Antonios(AP) continues his testimony for now the third day of the civil trial against him and his wife.
AP described his involvement in his children’s lives, including playing with them, taking them on vacations, and engaging in their daily routines. He said that he taught his children to drive and communicated with their schools primarily through his wife due to language barriers. AP denied ever hitting his children or throwing things at them.
He mentioned purchasing a gun safe around 2016-2017 to make storing firearms safer, with the display cabinet in the living room and the gun safe in the garage. Both were in good condition and locked before a police search, according to AP. He also confirmed that his son, DP, had access to the guns but had never been allowed to open the cabinet or safe. He found out DP bought ammunition online after the shooting.
AP expressed disbelief that DP had been drinking alcohol or smoking and noted that there were no signs of trouble at school or home. He was unaware of any weapons being hidden in the house and did not observe DP becoming a loner during junior high school.
Throughout his testimony, AP emphasized his active parenting role, teaching his children right from wrong, expressing love, and supporting them in their activities. He also said he did not notice any issues with his son before the incident.
10:25 a.m. - Jury brought in and seated
10:07 a.m. - Judge back on the bench, conferring with attorneys
The jury has not yet been seated. The defense team has since brought the gun cabinet and safe from Dimitrios Pagourtzis (DP) home into the courtroom.