CLEARLAKE — The preliminary hearing in a case against three men who stand accused of murder in relation to the shooting death of Skylar Michael Rapp, 4, got under way Wednesday in Lake County Superior Court Department 4 in Clearlake.
The day”s testimony saw two witnesses take the stand for the prosecution.
In conferring with counsel, Judge Stephen O. Hedstrom estimated the preliminary proceedings to take about five full days with 21 witnesses expected to take the stand.
The case is scheduled to resume at 8:30 a.m. today in Department 4.
Defendants Kevin Stone, 29, Paul Braden, 21, and Orlando Lopez, 23, face one count of murder and as many as five counts of attempted murder in connection with a June 18 shooting in which Rapp was fatally shot. Five other victims suffered gunshot wounds in the incident.
Stone is being represented by Komnith Moth. Doug Rhoades is representing Braden and Stone”s counsel is Stephen Carter.
Lake County District Attorney Don Anderson is leading the prosecution with his lead investigator identified as Investigator Tom Clements of the Clearlake Police Department. Alternate investigator is District Attorney Investigator Jim Crane.
The prosecution brought Joshua Gamble, 17, to the stand first. He spent nearly five hours on the stand offering testimony related to an altercation that he said he had with multiple subjects eight days prior to the shooting. He also testified to his activities the day of the incident, his relation to the victims and defendants and his personal account of the shooting incident.
Skylar”s stepfather, Ross Sparks, who suffered gunshot wounds in the incident, also took the stand briefly before objection was raised by Carter concerning a text message that Sparks allegedly received from Lopez.
The court is expected to continue addressing the objection when the case resumes this morning.
