LAKEPORT — The man who discovered Eric Joaquin”s body on Feb. 28, 2009 testified Thursday about his observations and actions on that day, during the second day of the jury trial of the man accused of murdering Joaquin.
Garrett “Cody” Watts told the court that he had been living at John Gray”s Clear Lake Riviera house on Del Monte Way, where Joaquin had also been living, and discovered Joaquin”s body around 9:30 a.m. that day.
Gray is charged with murder and two special allegations of inflicting bodily harm and using a deadly weapon for allegedly bludgeoning Joaquin to death with an aluminum baseball bat in the early morning hours of Feb. 28, 2009.
Judge Arthur Mann presided. Attorney Kevin Ikuma represented Gray and Deputy District Attorney Art Grothe represented the Lake County DA”s Office.
The prosecution called five witnesses Thursday, all of which were people who knew Joaquin and Gray and were used to help establish a timeline of events on and around Feb. 28, 2009.
The final two witnesses provided insights into the immediate time around the body”s discovery.
Cody Watts was the fourth witness called Thursday and testified that he and his brother Maurice Watts left the Konocti Vista Casino around 2 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2009 and stayed the night at the house of Laurel Joaquin, mother of the deceased.
Cody Watts testified that he left Laurel Joaquin”s house and purchased marijuana between 5 and 8 a.m., then attempted to call Eric Joaquin around 9:10 a.m. but got no answer.
Cody Watts said he called again several times around 9:18 a.m., receiving a busy signal until the final call, which rang until voicemail. He said he then drove to Gray”s house, arriving between 9:20 and 9:30 a.m.
Cody Watts said he walked into Gray”s house and toward Joaquin”s bedroom. From outside the room, he said he saw Joaquin”s “kind of white” and “stiff” body on the floor of the bedroom between the foot of the bed and the wall.
Cody Watts said he “freaked out,” ran into his white Chevy Suburban, drove back to Laurel Joaquin”s house and told his brother and Winter Joaquin, sister of the deceased, “Something”s wrong with Eric; we need to get over there.”
The three got into the Suburban and drove to Gray”s house, where Maurice Watts attempted to revive Joaquin and Winter called 9-1-1, according Cody Watts.
Maurice Watts was the final witness of the day. He testified that he was under the influence of methamphetamine on Feb. 28, 2009 when he heard his brother Cody pull up to Laurel Joaquin”s house saying “Eric”s hurt; he needs help.”
Maurice Watts said he tried reviving Joaquin, upon arriving at Gray”s house, but that Joaquin was “stiff, not moving at all.”
Cody Watts and Maurice Watts each testified that Joaquin was his “best friend.” Both men also testified that they had a criminal history and have served time in jail.
Defense attorney Ikuma asked Maurice Watts whether he had stolen drugs from “Mexican gangs” in Lake County.
Maurice Watts said that one day he and Joaquin found marijuana growing on the side of the road and they stole seven or eight of the plants. He said they did not know to whom those plants belonged.
Maurice Watts said he had stolen other drugs from known gang members, but that he had no “crime partners” and that Joaquin was not involved in any of those incidents.
“Anyone I knew, Eric didn”t know,” Maurice Watts said. “None of the Mexicans knew Eric.”
The three witnesses called before the Watts brothers testified to the timeline of events on the night of Feb. 27, 2009.
Tonya Patterson was the first witness called Thursday. Patterson testified that she lived in the Clear Lake Riviera house of Barbara Wallace, Gray”s then-girlfriend, and was in the house the night before Joaquin”s body was found.
Patterson told the court that she and her then-boyfriend Heath Vijsma returned to Wallace”s house around 2 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2009. She said that Gray was in the house, his blue Ford truck in the driveway and Gray”s dog Tesla not in the house at that time.
Patterson said had been awake and inside the front bedroom in Wallace”s house, between 2 and 7 a.m. and did not see Gray”s truck leave the driveway during that time.
Vijsma, who was sleeping in Patterson”s room that night, testified Wednesday that he may have seen Gray”s truck move that night.
Grothe said Wednesday that investigators allege Gray left Wallace”s house around 2 a.m. on Feb. 28, 2009 to retrieve his dog from his Del Monte Way house.
The murder is alleged to have occurred between 2 and 4 a.m., according to Grothe.
Gray was in the house when she woke up around noon on Feb. 28, 2009 and remained there through the time she left at around 1:30 p.m., Patterson said.
The prosecution called Steven Young as its second witness of the day.
Young acknowledged having a felony criminal history dating back to 1992 and having served time in prison on more than one occasion, during his testimony.
Young said that he had spent sometime at Wallace”s house and was there the morning of Feb. 28, 2009 between about 5 and 8 a.m.
Young testified that Gray woke up when he came in the house and was sleeping on the couch when he left. He also said he saw Gray”s dog in the house during that time.
The prosecution”s third witness, Luis Lopez, said he lived in a house on Del Monte Way directly across the street from Gray”s home.
Lopez testified that he saw a red car leave Gray”s driveway around 10:30 p.m. on Feb. 27, 2009 and did not see another vehicle in the driveway when he and his family left at 7:30 a.m. the next morning.
Stacey Jones, Joaquin”s then-girlfriend, testified Wednesday that she drove a red car in February 2009 and that she left Gray”s house around 10 p.m. on Feb. 28, 2009.
Lopez said he saw Cody Watts”s white Suburban parked outside Gray”s house a couple days after Joaquin”s body was discovered. Cody Watts, Maurice Watts and Laurel Joaquin were in the vehicle that day according to Lopez”s testimony.
Cody and Maurice Watts proceeded to bring boxes, crates and plastic bags from Gray”s house and load them in the vehicle, according to Lopez.
Lopez said that he called “the cops” and saw that a police vehicle arrived at Gray”s house. Two officers responded, spoke with the three people and left Gray”s house, without inspecting the contents of the boxes, according to Lopez.
Cody Watts later testified that he received permission from the LCSO to remove his belongings from Gray”s house and could not recall the contents of the “containers” he removed that day.
The trial adjourned for the week at 3:05 p.m. Thursday. The trial will reconvene at 9 a.m. Tuesday in Department 2.
Contact Jeremy Walsh at jwalsh@record-bee.com or call him directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
