LAKEPORT — The case of a Clearlake homicide trial may soon take a new turn, with the defense attorney expected to request a change of venue.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jon Hopkins said this week that he anticipates attorney Stuart Hanlon will seek a change of venue for the trial of his client, Renato Hughes Jr.
The 21-year-old Hughes, a San Franciscan, faces first-degree murder charges in the deaths of two of his companions, who were allegedly killed by the would-be victim in a botched attempt to rob him of marijuana.
Asked if he believed that Hanlon would ultimately file a change-of-venue motion as he has threatened to do since replacing another attorney on the case in February, Hopkins replied, “I”ve already got a response to it as a part of my motion.”
Hanlon, whose offices are in San Francisco, was in Lake County Superior Court on Monday and swiftly departed after Judge Arthur H. Mann set Sept. 11 as the date when Hopkins will divulge long-awaited results of laboratory testing of forensic evidence.
The evidence was taken from the weapons, clothing, fingerprints and blood at the home of Clearlake Park resident Shannon Edmonds. It was there on Dec. 7, 2005, that 22-year-old Christian Foster of San Francisco and 21-year-old Rashad Williams of Pittsburg were fatally shot in their backs.
Edmonds reportedly shot the two men as they ran from his home after they allegedly invaded it with a baseball bat and a shotgun at 3 a.m. and demanded marijuana that Edmonds allegedly keeps for a medical condition.
Hughes escaped unharmed, but faces murder charges under a clause in the law that holds individuals involved in committing a felonious act responsible if the act is likely to evoke a lethal response.
The unusual aspects of the law — charging someone with murder who did not pull the trigger and the fact that Edmonds is white and Hughes black have resulted in a close watch on the case and protests by some African American rights organizations.
Representatives of those organizations were in court once again on Monday along with members of Hughes” family.
Hanlon previously claimed to have conducted surveys to determine whether racism and adverse pretrial publicity exist at sufficient levels in Lake County to justify a motion to move the trial
Getting on the elevator, he said only, “I”ll see you in a couple of weeks.” Meaning Sept. 11.
“We have about reached the conclusion of testing at the Department of Justice,” Hopkins said. “It sounds to me like they will have their final testing done by then so that we can let Mr. Hanlon know what the results are so that he can determine how long it”s going to take to prepare for trial.”
Hanlon said he thought the defense might be ready for trial by January. But Hopkins said that he believes that as soon as a trial date is determined Hanlon will enter his change-of-venue motion.
Contact John Lindblom at jlindblom@record-bee.com.
