LAKEPORT ? Leaders from several branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) spoke in a press conference regarding the Renato Hughes murder trial on the courthouse steps in Lakeport Wednesday.
The NAACP announced intentions to support defense attorney Stuart Hanlon”s renewal of a motion to remove the trial from Lake County, and to ask for an inquiry into alleged misconduct by the Lake County District Attorney”s Office.
NAACP attorney Stratton Barbee was due to file a brief in support of Hanlon”s renewal of a motion for a change of venue.
Day six of questioning the remaining approximately 60 potential jurors stretched until the court went into recess at 4 p.m., leaving no time for Hanlon to file the motion.
“Nobody should be allowed to shoot another human being and take another human being”s life and not be held accountable,” Richmond NAACP branch president Ken Nelson said. Nelson is also the chair of the NAACP coordinating committee for the Hughes case, dubbed “Clearlake 3.”
Nelson called the Hughes case worse than one in Jena, La. in which second-degree attempted murder charges were brought against six black high school students after an altercation with a white student.
Nelson said by the end of the week the NAACP will begin efforts with state and national Attorney Generals” offices to see that charges are filed against Edmonds. The NAACP also plans to request that the California State Bar Association investigate alleged misconduct by the prosecution.
Former San Francisco resident Renato Hughes, 23, is accused in the alleged shooting deaths of his companions Christian Foster, 22, of San Francisco, and Rashad Williams, 21, of Brisbane at the time of his death in an alleged robbery gone bad at the Clearlake Park home of Shannon Edmonds on Dec. 7, 2005.
Although Edmonds reportedly pulled the trigger of the Browning automatic pistol that killed Hughes” companions, Hughes is charged with the deaths under a clause in the law that holds co-perpetrators responsible in the commission of a felonious act if the act is likely to provoke deadly resistance. No charges have been brought against Edmonds.
Hanlon said he is renewing a change of venue motion he filed earlier this year after nearly a month of narrowing down the jury pool. “We started with 350 people who were called,” Hanlon said.
“Out of those, two were African-American … We”re down now to about 60.
The majority of the people who”ve been kicked off are because of cause for prejudging this case or because they know witnesses or the DA.”
Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins told the Record-Bee earlier this week that he would not comment on Hanlon”s plans to renew the motion for a change of venue until it is filed. Hanlon said he expects jury selection to be complete and to file the motion today.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
