Ex-Giants WR Travis Rudolph testifies in defense during murder trial - "They were trying to kill us"

Former New York Giants wide receiver Travis Rudolph is currently on trial for one count of first-degree murder and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Rudolph claims that he used his firearm in self-defense during the incident.

According to a report from WPEC CBS12's Tom Myers, Rudolph shared when he took the witness stand.

“I took it as they were trying to kill us.”

He also narrated that the group led by Keishaun Jones, his then-partner's brother, physically attacked them.

“Right after he had punched me, there’s like all those guys was in unison, and they started like jumping me. Basically, they were coming from my right. Tyler (Robinson) hit me from my left, and they started jumping me from my right to the driveway.”

Travis Rudolph also claimed that he saw one of the men pull out a firearm from his right pocket but did not point it at him. Still, that act prompted him to retrieve his AR-15 pistol and start firing.

“Because I mean, when I wait for them to shoot, that’s a matter of seconds, and it could be me and my brother’s life. Just gone like that.”

Rudolph's mother, Linda, also took the stand. She testified that Dominique Jones, Travis' ex-girlfriend said that her brother and his friends were on their way to "f*ck him up and kill him."

She also shared what Keishaun and his friends said to her.

“We want Travis, ma. You need to go back in the house because we come to handle this.”

However, the prosecution asked Linda if she saw the four men take her son and beat him. She said no.

Travis Rudolph narrated the confrontation that started it all

The former Giant described when the female Jones accused her of infidelity.

“So, the next thing that happened was, basically we go in a room. She still asks me who Kyla was, and then she Facetimed her [on Rudolph’s phone]. She angled the phone to whereas if it was just me that called her."

"Basically, she had it set up, and I guess she was looking for answers or something. Me and Kyla had a short, brief conversation, and then after that, she just like, ‘You ain’t sh*t.’”

Travis Rudolph also shared that Jones hit him on the head and tried to throw a brick at him. She also brought out a tequila bottle to bash him in the head.

That confrontation led to more unfortunate events on the evening of April 7, 2021. Jones' anger with Travis Rudolph led her to text her brother to "shoot up his s**t."

Keishaun, Dominique's brother, came to Rudolph's house with three other men, including Sebastien Jean-Jacques, who died after the shooting. However, Keishaun stressed that they were there to demand an apology and not to attack Rudolph.

But while Jones and his entourage allegedly did not point a firearm at Rudolph, one of the men with him admitted to carrying a gun. The tension boiled over until Rudolph fired his weapon, forcing Jones and his friends to flee.

The authorities arrested Travis Rudolph after the incident. A year later, his lawyer negotiated his temporary release from jail on a $160,000 bond. However, he would remain under house arrest.