Voskanian was arrested on July 20, 2006, and charged with involuntary manslaughter.
During closing arguments, which started Wednesday, Voskanian was dressed in dark colors and showed little emotion as family members listened to the proceedings behind her.
Deputy Dist. Atty. Ana Lopez sought to portray Voskanian as a temperamental provoker who did not push Dorado in self-defense but was the aggressor during the argument.
“She said Mr. Dorado ran at her, and all she did was put up her arm,” Lopez said with one arm extended toward the jury. “Do you think she could have caused Mr. Dorado to fall backward by [putting one arm out]? It defies the law of physics. It’s beyond a lie. She was in a rage.”
That rage may have been as a result of embarrassment Voskanian suffered when Dorado followed her into a Verizon store to demand the parking fee, Lopez said.
“This is a man who wanted $5 and went into the store to get it,” she said. “She was more than frustrated, more than embarrassed. When she tells you she wasn’t angry, that is just not true.”
In order to prove that Voskanian was guilty of involuntary manslaughter, the prosecution had to convince the jury that Dorado’s death was directly caused by her shove.
“He wasn’t just pushed backward,” she said. “What happened was a complete deadfall onto the asphalt parking lot. The push was committed under circumstances of great bodily harm. What caused the bleeding from his head? It was the blow, the blunt force trauma.”
But in his closing arguments defense attorney, Jim Epstein told jurors that there was reasonable doubt Voskanian’s act did not cause Dorado’s death.
