The jury is still out after beginning deliberations last Monday, July 28, in the Renato Hughes Jr. murder trial. The prominent case was moved to Contra Costa County after a change of venue in November 2007.
Hughes faces two counts of murder for the deaths of his companions, Rashad Williams and Christian Foster, who were shot in the back as the three men fled the Clearlake Park home of Shannon Edmonds on the night of Dec. 7, 2005, during what the prosecution is calling a home invasion robbery.
“Mr. Hughes said there was a fourth man named Dre,” Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins said.
Lake County District Attorney Jon Hopkins is prosecuting Hughes for murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and attempted murder under the Provocative Act Doctrine.
The doctrine says co-conspirators can be held responsible for death that occurs as a result of a felonious act that provokes a victim to shoot in self-defense according to www.lexisnexis.com/lawschool.
On Friday, the jurors heard a re-reading of Hughes testimony from when he took the stand three weeks ago. According to Hopkins, Hughes told the court he waited in Williams” car parked two to three houses away from Edmonds” home, and entered the home only when he heard glass breaking.
“He explained the fact that his DNA was found in the house by claiming he heard a loud crash, ran in from the car to see what was up, and he must have cut his hand on the glass,” Hopkins said.
Hughes testified that the man identified as Dre went into the home with Williams and Foster, and that he believed the men were there to buy marijuana from Edmonds, according to Hopkins.
Hopkins called that and other pieces of Hughes” testimony “inconsistent with the evidence,” saying Hughes claimed he gave Williams $150 to buy marijuana, but only $10 was found on Williams” body.
“He claims he did not see them put on masks, he claims he did not see Rashad Williams pull his turtleneck up over his face, he didn”t see him put on his grandmother”s garden gloves, he didn”t see a shotgun ? he is refuting all of the evidence,” Hopkins said.
The jury was expected to resume deliberating on Tuesday, Aug. 5. No further information was available as of presstime on Tuesday.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
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