LAKEPORT ? Clearlake resident Andre L. Stevens, 61, was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday in the May 4 stabbing of 42-year-old Clearlake man John R. McCoy, Jr. He faces a possible sentence of 52 to life, including a year added for his use of a knife and another year because he did not remain out of jail for five years after a previous felony conviction.
A prior felony robbery conviction in Santa Clara County in 1990 counts as a strike under the state”s Three Strikes Law. That could double the prescribed 25 to life sentence for first-degree murder, according to Steven”s defense attorney Jason Webster.
Webster said outside the courtroom Wednesday morning that he plans to file a Romero motion for the first strike to be set aside in sentencing, which could put Stevens” first chance of parole at 27 years rather than 52. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Oct. 5 at 8:30 a.m. in a department to be announced in the Lake County courthouse in Lakeport before Superior Court Judge Robert L. Crone.
Lake County Deputy District Attorney John Langan said Stevens was observed by witnesses chasing McCoy out of a Clearlake apartment, yelling as he stabbed McCoy multiple times. A neighbor called 9-1-1, and Clearlake Police officers responded from just down the street within 45 seconds, according to Langan.
A May 5 press release from the Clearlake Police Department says Stevens was found still holding the knife with bloody hands, and that McCoy identified Stevens as his killer before he died. A May 7 CPD release identifying a second suspect states that Stevens admitted stabbing McCoy.
Webster said his defense strategy was to establish that Stevens stabbed McCoy in self-defense. He cited cuts on Stevens” hands that a doctor testified could have been self-defense wounds. Webster also said that Langan couldn”t account for Stevens” dislocated shoulder, which he said would have required a lot of force that may have been consistent with hitting the ground.
“The method and manner in which McCoy was killed was extremely brutal,” Langan said. McCoy was stabbed eight times, Langan added, twice through his heart. Langan said the weapon was a military-style hunting knife with a 12-inch blade.
The motive was jealousy, according to Langan. He said Stevens was heard yelling things “so vile that you couldn”t print it in the paper” about an affair he believed McCoy had with an ex-girlfriend. “The question was whether it was a justified killing, and the jury disagreed,” Langan said.
Jury members shook the hands of McCoy”s parents, who were visiting from the Bay Area, as they left the courtroom Tuesday morning.
“Justice was done,” said McCoy”s father Ibrahim Mahdi outside the courtroom.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
