LAKEPORT — Patricia Campbell, 23, took the stand Thursday in the murder trial of Shannon Lee Edmonds, 35, and co-defendant Melvin Dale Norton, 38. Campbell testified to the relationships he had between the defendants and the victim, Shelby Ryan Uehling, 25, of Bozeman, MT.
Also testifying on Thursday was Jackie Shelafoe, who said she was Norton”s roommate at the time of the murder.
Both Clearlake men stand accused of the bloody killing of Uehling, who died during the early morning hours of Sept. 22, 2009. Edmonds and Norton have pleaded not guilty by means of self-defense. The defense contends that the men, Edmonds especially, had acted in the protection of Campbell.
Campbell offered no solid testimony responding often with “maybe,” “probably” or “I don”t remember.” Of the few responses she maintained throughout her testimony was that she had never felt a threat to her personal safety with regard to Uehling, with the exception of a single event.
Campbell said that she had broken up with Edmonds and shortly after began a brief relationship with Uehling. She said during the six to seven day relationship she had with Uehling she had engaged in drug use throughout its entirety. She said she broke that relationship off because of her love for Edmonds. She said she didn”t immediately inform Uehling of her decision to end her relationship with him.
Campbell said that after breaking it off with Uehling, she went back to Edmonds, living in his home, and she slept for a couple of days, which were those just prior to the killing. She said that she could not remember sending Uehling a text message that told him to lose her number and stay away from her family. She couldn”t recall sending or receiving several other messages either mainly due to half of the screen on her cell phone being broken and her comedown from the methamphetamine she was on. She said she had left her phone on the stand next to the bed while she slept.
During cross-examination the defense counselors called into question statements Campbell made to law enforcement after Uehling”s death in which she allegedly said that (Uehling) had lost his whole family, was really bad on drugs and was stalking her. She said she couldn”t remember and she might have said something like it.
Throughout her testimony, Campbell maintained that she didn”t feel threatened by Uehling except the time in which he came to her mother”s house, which is located next door to Edmonds” home, and tried to see her. She said Uehling was banging on the door and the windows. Edmonds and Norton went outside and told him to leave, she said, adding that Norton counted to three and Uehling left. She maintained that incident as being the only time she had felt threatened by Uehling. She said the days prior to his death she had been on friendly terms with Uehling.
Campbell also testified to never discussing her relationship with Uehling with Edmonds.
During a break from her testimony, outside hers the presence of the jury, Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe informed Judge Arthur Mann that a law enforcer in courtroom told him that he saw Edmonds mouthing answers to Campbell during her testimony. Judge Mann said that he did not see that; however, much of his attention is focused on the witness. He said he would watch for it and if it was occurring that it should cease immediately.
Jackie Shelafoe”s testimony focused primarily on events that she witnessed hours surrounding Uehling”s murder. She said that she was Norton”s roommate at the time of the incident.
She testified to overhearing a conversation Norton had on the phone in which he said “Top of the hill” and “No, yours not mine.”
Following the conversation, Shelafoe said Norton changed clothes, from shorts into pants, and left the home they shared. She said he grabbed the golf club her mother had kept near the front door on his way out. She later identified the golf club in the prosecution”s evidence as being that of her mother”s.
Shelafoe said Norton and Edmonds returned to the residence about 15 to 20 minutes later. “There was blood on Melvin”s pants,” she said. “There was a cut on Shannon”s arm.”
She said the men changed their clothing and hid the soiled ones in her front bedroom. She later identified the soiled clothing through a photo presented by the prosecution.
Shelafoe said the men left after changing their clothes and Norton returned about 10 to 20 minutes later. “All he said was ?Don”t worry, we didn”t stab nobody,”” she said. She said at the time, she did feel concern that the men may have hurt somebody.
When asked why she didn”t call the police, Shelafoe said she was afraid that Norton would hurt her.
The trial will continue at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Lake County Superior Court Department 3 in Lakeport.
Contact South County reporter Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
