The wife of the man killed at Stearns Wharf in December 2022 took the stand on Monday to testify about the shooting during the first day of the murder trial in Santa Barbara.

Gerallie Gutierrez answered questions about the shooting and what she saw minutes before her husband, Robert Dion Gutierrez, 52, was killed on Dec. 9, 2022, as the couple were walking along Stearns Wharf. He was a father of two daughters with Gerallie Gutierrez and worked at a Camarillo assisted-living facility.

Jiram Tenorio Ramon, 25, of Santa Barbara faces a murder charge as the suspect in the shooting and killing of Gutierrez.

Prosecutors for the case claim that the shooting was gang-related and that Tenorio Ramon carried out the attack to increase his standing with a gang.

The confrontation allegedly occurred when Tenorio Ramon and three other men in a car saw another group of men they believed were in a rival gang. It is suspected that the men in the car challenged the other group, leading to the shooting. Police have described Gutierrez as an innocent bystander.

Just before Gerallie Gutierrez took the stand, prosecutor Tate McCallister played a recording of the 9-1-1 call in which she asked for help.

She and her husband were visiting Santa Barbara to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary. She explained that the couple were staying at the Harbor View Inn and had walked over to the wharf to check out some of the restaurants.

She said she saw a group of young men walking past her and her husband as the couple walked along the wharf. Not long after, she said she heard what she thought were fireworks.

After they started running, Gerallie Gutierrez said she saw her husband fall face-first to the ground.

In his opening statements to the jury, McCallister explained that Santa Barbara does have gangs, and they do have a history of recruiting young men as teenagers. He alleged that Tenorio Ramon joined the Westside gang when he was older but was a “devoted disciple.”

McCallister said the gun recovered was a 9mm handgun, adding that it was what is called a “ghost gun” without a serial number. He continued by accusing Tenorio Ramon of trying to prove himself to the gang, and with the gun, “set out for an opportunity to use it.”

McCallister claimed that the Gutierrezes had no idea what was happening behind them when Tenorio Ramon aimed his gun at Robert Gutierrez and “fired one shot.”

“When a person fires a gun with an intent to kill, that intent follows the bullet wherever it goes,” McCallister said.

He added that he would prove Tenorio Ramon’s guilt using evidence collected from texts, cellphones and more. One piece of evidence includes a song that Tenorio Ramon allegedly wrote and sang.

In his opening statements, Public Defender George Steele, Tenorio Ramon’s attorney, described the altercation as a life-or-death situation where his client was fighting for survival.

Steele alleged that the other group fired first, and Tenorio Ramon was in fear for his life. He also disputed the prosecution’s claim that his client was part of a gang.

Steele described Tenorio Ramon and his friends as average young men looking for something to do.

“This is a night where four young guys just want to hang out,” Steele told the jury.

Steele described the altercation as “five seconds” where his client’s life was on the line and he was in fear for his safety, adding that Tenorio Ramon had the right to protect his life.

Throughout the first day of the trial, the prosecution called multiple witnesses from law enforcement agencies to testify about the day of the shooting.

The first witness was dispatcher Melissa Velasco from the Santa Barbara Police Department. Velasco was working when the shooting occurred and took the 9-1-1 call from Gerallie Gutierrez.

Other witnesses included Daniel Garcia, an investigator with the SBPD and the first police officer on the scene on the night of the shooting. During Garcia’s testimony, McCallister showed a recording from the body cam that showed Garcia’s arrival at Stearns Wharf.

In the footage, Gerallie Gutierrez can be seen kneeling next to her husband as Jan Martinez from the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol administers medical aid.

Robert Gutierrez was transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital and died from his injuries on Dec. 20, 2022.

The trial continued into the late afternoon Monday. Testimony is scheduled to resume Tuesday in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.

Tenorio Ramon remains in custody at the county jail.