Tuesday marked the first day of evidence in the jury trial for the man accused of killing two people last year in a dorm room at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Nicholas Jordan, 25, is accused of shooting and killing Celie Rain Montgomery, 26, of Pueblo and music student Samuel Knopp, 24, of Parker in the early morning hours of Feb. 16, 2024, in a campus dormitory.

Jordan and Knopp were roommates and students at UCCS.

Tuesday also was the beginning of the testimony in Jordan’s trial, with attorneys giving opening statements first thing in the morning.

Anthony Gioia delivered the opening statement for the prosecution, outlining why he believes the case is open-and-shut that Jordan killed Knopp and Montgomery, and deliberated to do so.

Gioia pointed the jury toward several pieces of evidence the prosecution intends to admit during trial, including that the handgun found in Jordan’s car when he was arrested was tested and found to be the same gun used in the killings.

Gioia also claimed during opening statements that Jordan dropped out of UCCS the day before the shooting and that his student ID card was used to enter the dorms less than 20 minutes before the shooting.

During the defense’s opening statement, William Patrick alleged that there are “gaps in evidence” in the case presented by the prosecution.

“What you’re going to hear is not evidence of two roommates whose feud boiled over into a murder,” Patrick said. “The prosecution is trying to give you this narrative.”

The longest testimony of the day was that of Knopp and Jordan’s roommate, Giancarlo Argueta Agudelo, who called 911 the morning of the shooting.

Agudelo testified that he called 911 just before 6 a.m. Feb. 16, 2024, after hearing several loud banging noises that he feared were gunshots. When officers arrived they found Knopp and Montgomery dead from numerous gunshot wounds in Knopp’s bedroom.

Jared Murdoch, a medical examiner with the El Paso County Coroner’s Office who conducted both autopsies, testified that Knopp was shot eight times and Montgomery was shot four times.

Agudelo spent much of his testimony speaking about the tense relationship he and Knopp had with Jordan. Agudelo testified that the pair was upset with Jordan because of his behavior, specifically about Jordan not cleaning and smoking cigarettes and marijuana inside.

Agudelo testified that it came to a boiling point weeks before the shooting when during a dispute over Jordan not taking out the trash he allegedly threatened to kill Knopp.

“He said there would be ‘consequences’ for snitching on him and later said he would kill (Knopp),” Agudelo said during his testimony.

During cross-examination Agudelo added that Knopp did escalate the argument verbally — saying at one point Knopp told Jordan “you won’t do s—,” when he was threatened — but that he never threatened Jordan in return.

The jury spent the second half of the day hearing testimony primarily from law enforcement, some of whom were the first to arrive on scene the morning of the shooting.

Body-worn camera footage from UCCS campus police officer Greg Perry, the first officer on the scene, was played to the court during his testimony.

In the video, Perry can be seen entering the dorm room and discovering Montgomery dead in the bed and Knopp dead on the floor, both covered in blood only partially able to be seen thanks to the blue light from an idle TV shining over their bodies.

Several officers testified Tuesday afternoon that there were no weapons seen in Knopp’s room by first responders.

Murdoch added during his testimony that none of the gunshot wounds suffered by Knopp or Montgomery appeared to have been fired at close range.

Among the prosecuting attorneys in the case is 4th Judicial District Attorney Michael Allen, who led the testimony for the day’s first witness, Melody Montgomery, Celie Montgomery’s mother.

Melody Montgomery testified briefly about her daughter, who she said loved to sing and was the mother of two small children. Melody Montgomery said during her testimony that it was one of Celie Montgomery’s children’s seventh birthday on Tuesday.

Jordan was in court for his trial Tuesday, wearing a white dress shirt and a mask. His trial will resume on Wednesday morning.