LAKEPORT >> With jury proceedings underway in the People vs. Billy Ray Mount murder trial, three additional witnesses were called to the stand on Wednesday by Deputy District Attorney, Sharon Lerman.
Billy Ray Mount, 36, of Clearlake, is accused of killing Steven Galvin, aka “T-Bone,” 40, outside of a home in the 15000 block of 35th Avenue in broad daylight July 2, 2015.
Judge Andrew Blum is presiding over the trial.
The first witness to take the stand was James Black, a 32 year resident of Clearlake, living in a home on the 15000 block of 35th Avenue across the street at an angle from the shooting incident.
Black told the court he heard gunshots on the night in question. Black testified that when he looked out his front window, he witnessed seeing the tail end of a white truck, “looked like an S-10” driving away. Black sat back down and then he heard a guy hollering out for help, so Black went to his front door and witnessed a guy stumbling up the driveway, picking up his backpack he had dropped, when he fell about 10-15 feet on the neighbor’s lawn.
According to Black, he remembers the incident occurring around 3:30-3:45 in the afternoon with the gunshots being about one second apart.
Black testified the victim kept hollering, “I’ve been shot! Help!” Black dialed 911 and stood in the doorway until police and paramedics arrived.
During cross examination by Defense Attorney Anakalia Sullivan, Black said he just saw the back of the victim and never saw his face. “If he walked in here, I couldn’t describe him,” he told the court.
The second witness was Brian McKinnie, a neighbor living three houses down from the incident on 35th Avenue. He said that he had been in San Francisco and just got home. “I was sitting in the dining room,” and “waiting for the mail truck.” Upon further questioning, McKinnie stated that when he looked out his window he saw a small white pick- up truck parked to the right of an oak tree, in a yard other than where the victim was found by police. McKinnie testified he saw a taller guy and a shorter guy arguing.
When Lerman asked McKinnie how he could tell they were arguing, he responded, “lot of hand gestures.” McKinnie testified he could not hear the exact words, but they “weren’t talking about going catfishing.”
According to McKinnie, the taller guy was wearing a backpack, dressed in dark clothes and “walked on” after the argument. He added that the other man got into the white truck, headed eastbound on 35th Ave.
Within one minute, McKinnie testified, he heard gunshots.
“I saw two kids on bikes, riding over to the guy that got shot,” McKinnie stated.
During cross examination by Sullivan, McKinnie told the court he did not see a bald headed individual getting into the truck or a second individual get into the truck.
When Sullivan asked if he thought they knew each other, Mckinnie responded, “couldn’t tell if they knew each other.”
The third and final witness was a juvenile male, Clearlake resident, 11 years of age when the incident took place. He informed the court he (walking) and his friend (on bike) were going door to door asking residents if they needed help with yard work.
This witness testified he was walking on the opposite side of the street where the incident occurred, a small white truck slowed “a couple feet behind me” and stopped on the right side of the street when he was on the left side of the street.
The witness further testified he heard one gunshot, door slammed, and the truck sped away fast approximately “60-70 mph.”
He and his friend went to see what happened, had a brief interaction with the victim then left the scene.
Lerman showedchim a photo of a white truck, asking him if the truck he saw was “similar to this truck.” He responded in the affirmative and also stated the “windows were tinted black.”
The trial continued on Friday.
