LAKEPORT — Edward James Munoz”s second trial is underway in the Lakeport Courthouse, with prosecuting Deputy District Attorney Richard Hinchcliff calling witnesses to the stand to relate the details around a murder case that is now more than five years old.
Munoz is charged with the brutal murder of 26-year-old Clearlake single mother Leah Leister, with a special allegation that the incident was gang-related.
If the special allegation can be proved, said Hinchcliff, Munoz could get life in prison without parole.
His first trial, beginning in Aug. 2006, resulted in a mistrial when the jury announced after two and a half days that is was hung 11 -1 in favor of a guilty verdict on Oct. 11.
The fourth witness called Thursday was Kim Woodford, who was living in the same Clearlake apartment complex with Leister when she was killed. He was called by a friend of Leister”s live-in friend Nicole McGall to check on Leister after McGall found her lying by the side of the bed on the morning of March 11, 2002.
McGall”s testimony matched that of Woodford in each witness” description of how they found Leister with her hands and feet duct-taped as she lay on the floor beside her bed.
“She looked a little swollen and a little bloody,” said McGall, describing her first reaction on finding Leister. McGall said she wasn”t sure at the time and didn”t check to see if she was dead because “I freaked out and backed out (of the room).”
Woodford described finding a lot of blood on the bed, and after confirming that she was dead by checking for breath under her nose with his fingers, he informed everyone in the apartment that they would need to get out and call the Clearlake Police Department.
A CPD investigation was launched soon thereafter. Hinchcliff said the trial will resume on May 22 in Dept. 3 of the Lakeport Courthouse with testimony regarding the investigation.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
