Apr 21, 2015

"Without that video, we would never know the defendant was responsible for Doug's death,"

Mr. Rees opened his remarks to the jury with, "During the process of selecting the jury, the defendant got to introduce himself, said good morning and said how nice it was to meet you."

"This is Douglas Anderson-Jordet," and turning to a photo of a smiling Douglas Anderson-Jordet on a projector screen behind him, Mr. Rees continued, "He will not get to introduce himself to you, he will not get to say good morning to you, he will not get to say how nice it is to meet you. That's because he killed him." Mr. Rees then pointed to Ferrer.

Then he showed the jury a photo of the street with evidence markers and blood on the street. "This is where Douglas Anderson-Jordet was killed." Mr. Rees then described the events of the night leading up to where the video captured Juan Ferrer, Nicholas Stoiber and Sophie Rocheleau and Douglas Anderson-Jordet walking on H Street where the stabbing occurred.

After leaving Everett's bar, Ferrer and his two friends were walking on the opposite sides of H Street. Mr. Rees said this was at 1:10 a.m. At 1:24 two 911 calls were made about "a man down on H Street."

"During that 15 minutes, Doug walked up H street, during that 15 minutes, the defendant confronted Doug, during that 15 minutes, the defendant stabbed Doug and left him to die on the street."

"The defendant did not stand ground. The defendant didn't call  the police and tell them this man attacked me, The defendant did not call the paramedics or police or fire and get Doug help. He left him to die on the street."

At 1:30 a.m. the first officer arrived on the scene and after examining the victims, listens to the man who found him say that "he just stopped breathing."

"Without that video, we would never know the defendant was responsible for Doug's death," said Mr. Rees. "The defendant never came forward. After investigation, a week later he was arrested."

"Mr. Ferrer said, Nah, I wasn't there," said Mr. Rees. "You got me on video, you got my DNA" despite this evidence, Mr. Rees said that Ferrer denied involvement in the death of Anderson-Jordet.

Mr. Rees played an audio recording of an interview with Ferrer. The officer asks him what should happen with the people who took Anderson-Jordet's life. Ferrer responds, "I don't know."

"Nobody should die for hurling an insult, maybe" Ferrer is heard saying. Then Mr. Rees flashed that quote on the screen along with other responses from Ferrer. "Maybe bitch-slapped or something."

Law enforcement tells Ferrer, you have the right to defend yourself. He responds, "Yeah, I know I do. I wasn't attacked though. And I didn't have to defend myself."

Then Mr. Rees showed text messages exchanged between Stoiber and Ferrer, two days after the death of Anderson-Jordet.

"As long as the weapon don't come up, I think we are cool."

"only my sister aside from you and soph and my fam are gangster no snitching."

A text from November 28, 2013. Ferrer: "You think we are in the clear." Stoiber; "Clear enough. No witnesses except us." Ferrer: "Word, brother."

A week after his arrest, Mr. Rees said that Ferrer told a deputy in jail he was vegetarian. He also told this deputy that "Doug called Sophie a fat bitch" and said "Nick and I were fags." Mr. Rees said that Ferrer told this deputy, that he was "not trying to kill him, I stuck him to get past him."

"You are here because that defendant killed that man, killed him right here in the streets of Arcata and left him to die". That is how DDA Roger Rees ended his very powerful opening statement to a four women, 8 man jury. There are five alternates, 4 men and one woman.

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