LAKEPORT — The jury heard police interviews with defendants Shannon Lee Edmonds, 35 and Melvin Dale Norton, 38 conducted hours after the incident in which Shelby Ryan Uehling, 25, of Bozeman MT was killed.
The day”s testimony concluded the prosecution”s case.
The Clearlake men, who stand accused of Uehling”s murder, have pleaded not guilty by means of self-defense.
In addition to murder, they are charged with assault with a knife, assault with a club and assault likely to cause great bodily injury.
Norton faces an additional charge of accessory after the fact while charges against Edmonds are accompanied by special allegations because great bodily injury was allegedly inflicted.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of 25 years to life without the possibility of parole.
Clearlake Police Detective Sgt. Tom Clements took the stand to testify to those interviews, which were taken in the presence of Sgt. Tim Celli. The first interview entered into evidence for the prosecution was that taken from Norton approximately 7.5 hours after the Sept. 22 altercation between the victim and the defendants.
A second interview with Norton was later played via CD player as well.
In his first interview Norton told police that he had been at Edmond”s residence most of the day.
He said he left to return to his own home at approximately 10:30 p.m. where he said he remained until being contacted by police.
He said when he got there he called Edmonds to let him know that he was home. He also said that his interaction with the victim was limited to verbal over the phone.
When asked what he knew about the fight with Uehling, Norton said Edmonds came to his house afterward. “He said he got into a fight with Shelby and that was it,” Norton said. When asked about any injuries Edmonds may have suffered, Norton said in the interview, “All I seen was a cut on his arm.”
When pressured by interviewers for the truth, Norton changed his story. He admitted to calling Edmonds and informing him that Uehling was in a vehicle near the entrance of Lottowana Resort.
He said he was engaged in a verbal confrontation with Uehling when Edmonds arrived, at which time Edmonds and Uehling engaged in a physical fight. Norton said the closest he had gotten to Edmonds and Uehling during the altercation was about 20 feet.
When asked what his specific part in the fight had been, Norton said, “Just the part calling Shannon and telling him the red car was up the hill” Norton later added, “Once the fight started I started walking further down the road.”
In the interview, Norton was asked about blood-soiled clothing and shoes that were allegedly recovered from his residence.
He said he didn”t know how blood had gotten on his own shoes and pants and that it probably came from him handling Edmonds” jeans when he put them in a bag and hid them between mattresses.
He previously stated the blood may have come from Edmonds touching him.
Officers asked Norton why he walked away from the altercation.
“I started walking away because it was not worth my (explicit) time. I”m a three-strike champion,” he said, adding that he had been minding his Ps and Qs because it had been the longest he”d ever been out of prison and that he didn”t want to lose his daughter.
Ending his first interview, Norton said “I didn”t hit him. I didn”t kick him. I didn”t stab him. All I did was yell at him.”
In his second interview Norton admitted to fighting with Uehling “for a minute” next to Uehling”s car. He said he had only pushed Uehling a couple of times because Uehling had “lunged” at him. Norton said he personally sustained no injuries in the incident.
Norton said he watched Edmonds and Uehling “wrestle” around on the ground. He said Edmonds was on top most of the time. When asked at what point did he know that Uehling was stabbed, Norton said, “Shelby was laying on the side of the road screaming. I had a feeling he was stabbed when Shannon gave me the knife.”
In mimicking the Uehling”s “screams,” Norton made a sound similar to gasping.
In his interview with police Edmonds said that he really didn”t know Uehling and that a couple days prior to the incident Patricia Campbell told him that he was stalking her. He said the last contact he had with Uehling was when he came to Campbell”s mother”s house trying to see her.
He said Uehling was told to leave and he did.
In regard to the night of the incident, Edmonds said that Norton left his house around 2 a.m. and that Norton called to say he was at home. When asked directly, Edmonds said that he did not get in a fight with Uehling and that the injury on his arm, a small laceration, was sustained when he fell over a fence.
Soon into the interview Edmonds changed his story and admitted to getting into a confrontation with Uehling. He said that Uehling pulled a knife on him. “(Uehling) pulled out a knife and stabbed me. I pulled out my knife. I don”t know what happened from there,” Edmonds said in the interview.
Edmonds later said in the interview that Uehling pulled something out of his waistband. He said he thought it was a gun. According to police testimony no weapons with the exception of the knife found inside Uehling”s shoe were recovered from the scene.
When police asked Edmonds why he lied he said that he was terrified and he didn”t want to go to prison. “I don”t want to go to prison for some (explicit) scum bag stalking my old lady,” he said, adding that Uehling was selling drugs.
Edmonds also admitted to going after Uehling when Uehling attempted to back away. He said he ran up to Uehling and grabbed him then Uehling lunged at him. “When I ran up to him I was trying to sock him and he pulled something out of his waistband and lunged at me,” Edmonds said. “When he reached into his waistband I thought I was going to get shot.”
Edmonds said the blood on Norton”s clothing probably came from Norton trying to pick him up.
In concluding his statement to police Edmonds said, “I want you to know I got the (explicit) bad guy. You should have seen the look in his eyes when he looked at (Campbell).” He said that he loves Campbell and that was why he tried to get Uehling in trouble with police a few days prior to the incident. (A conversation between Sgt. Celli and Edmonds during the interview indicated that Edmonds reported that Uehling was operating a drug lab. According to Sgt. Celli”s statements, the allegation was unfounded.)
Previously in his statement Edmonds said that Campbell is a beautiful girl and Uehling was not the first to try to make her be with him.
Tuesday”s testimony concluded the prosecution”s case. The trial will resume with defense presentation 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.
