LAKEPORT ? Evidentiary hearing procedures were conducted Wednesday in Lake County Superior Court Department 3 in Lakeport in the murder trial of Shannon Lee Edmonds, 35 and co-defendant Melvin Dale Norton, 38, both of Clearlake.
The pair pleaded not guilty by means of self-defense to murder charges related to the Sept. 22, 2009 death of Shelby Ryan Uehling, 25, of Bozeman, MT.
Acting on behalf of the people, Lake County Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe admitted a mountain of photographic evidence for consideration of the court, which was met with several objections by co-counselors Doug Rhoades and Stephen Carter, who represent Edmonds and Norton, respectively.
Counselors spent hours sifting through the admitted evidence narrowing down the selection of photographs that will be admissible before the jury, which was selected earlier this week. Arguments for objections offered by the defense were primarily on grounds of duplication and possible undue prejudice greater than substantial evidence. Other objections were on grounds that some of the photographs could provoke an undue sympathetic response by the jurors in that they included flowers placed at the scene after the fact.
Photographs presented by the prosecution were admitted in sets including those taken at the crime scene during nighttime hours and those taken during daylight; autopsy photos, photos taken at the hospital and those taken before and after Uehling”s body was “cleaned up.” Photos depicted such evidence as blood spatter patterns, position of the victim”s body and its condition.
Carter referred to the entourage of photos as overkill. “It”s an overkill in terms of what they want to present to the jury,” Carter said. “Anytime you have a series of photos you are trying to create a prejudice for the jury.”
Grothe argued the necessity of varying photographs in that they are relevant in the prosecution”s effort to dispute the defendants” claims of self defense and illustrate the multiple wounds suffered by the victim and depict the violence of the act.
“Somebody died here. He died from multiple wounds to the body,” Grothe said, adding that the photos are necessary to depict multiple items of trauma including stab wounds to the neck, lung and buttocks; stomping or grinding to the side of the knees; impact wounds to the ribs, head, face and other areas. He argued that imbedded debris in the victim”s knees is also relevant.
“If he was crawling around on his hands and knees, that is very relevant to that self defense argument,” Grothe said.
While Judge Mann sustained several objections by the defense, primarily on grounds that the evidence was duplicative, he also ruled several pieces of the prosecution”s evidence as admissible. In a discussion of a number of Series 2A photos, which were taken at the hospital about two hours after the victim”s death, he said the evidence was relevant in the court”s mind if you take into consideration the number of wounds.
The trial is scheduled to continue with opening statements and proceeding with evidence at 9 a.m. today in Department 3.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
