Opening statements were given Monday in the trial of the man accused of kidnapping four Youngstown men and murdering three of them.

Elias Gudino, 59, is charged with six counts of aggravated murder, two counts of attempted aggravated murder, one count of murder, one count of attempted murder, four counts of kidnapping, one count of weapon under disability, one count of tampering with evidence and three-year gun specifications on 16 counts.

Gudino is accused in the kidnapping and murders of 25-year-old Inmer Reyes, 31-year-old Victor Varela-Rodriguez, and 35-year-old Domingo Castillo-Reyes. He is also accused of kidnapping a fourth man and attempting to kill him. 

One of the victim's bodies was found along Wright Road in Copley during the morning hours of March 10, 2023, and two others were found in the roadway on Cordova Avenue.

All three victims had been bound, gagged, and shot. The fourth man was also bound and gaged but alleges that the bullet went through his hat instead of hitting him when Gudino shot him. 

During opening statements, the prosecution went over these allegations in detail stating that Gudino kidnapped the four victims from their home in Youngstown and drove them in a truck to his home in Copely.

Prosecutors say, Gudino untied the victims and allowed them to go to the bathroom and have a drink of water before binding them with a rope, duct taping their mouths, writing "MS-13" on them with a marker, took two of them to the side of the road, shot and killed one of them and attempted to kill the other.

From there, prosecutors say he took the two other individuals to a secluded area in Akron and shot them both in the back of the head.

Prosecutors allege Gudino went to the home in Youngstown to confront a man that was having a relationship with Gudino's ex-wife. The man no longer lived at the home with the four other men. Prosecutors say when Gudino couldn't get the man to come to the home, he took his friends as hostages instead.

The defense was up next and talked more about Gudino's past mentioning that he got involved with drug trafficking in the late 2000s and went to federal prison from 2009 to 2017 after he was caught with eight kilos of cocaine from a Mexican drug cartel.

The defense added once he got out, he turned over a new leaf, but was eventually visited from a cartel assassin who showed up with a gun and demands.

"The demands are: 'I know where your daughter lives. I know where your grandchildren go to school, I know who picks them up, I know what time they're picked up. You do what I say. You're coming with me,'" the defense said.

From there, the defense says the incident involving the four victims began from there when the assassin took him to a house in Youngstown to meet with an associate. 

The alleged crimes occurred within the next half hour to 45 minutes according to the defense.

The defense described Gudino as "the 5th hostage" in this situation due to the threats allegedly made by the assassin.

Prosecutors are expected to bring up several pieces of evidence during the trial including surveillance video of Gudino buying the rope and tape used to tie up the victims.

Gudino himself will testify during the trial using a Spanish translator. The alleged surviving victim will also take the stand to detail that night.