"In a society where personal worth is equated with economic growth and guns are readily available, it is surprising we don't have more violence"

District Attorney Paul Gallegos started his opening argument to the jury by saying, "Many of you watch legal shows. On TV, legal shows are for 30 minutes, this is not at all like TV. This trial will take several days, weeks. We will have gaps and delays."

"In a society where personal worth is equated with economic growth and guns are readily available, it is surprising we don't have more violence. I bring this up because this case is about these issues. Young people equate personal worth with economic worth so they engage in criminal activity to amass wealth."

"Mr. Lee is charged with the murder of Billy Reid."

Using a presentation on the screen with timelines, photos of exhibits and the crime scene, Mr. Gallegos outlined the prosecution's theory about what happened to Reid and why the People believe Lee murdered him.

Mr. Gallegos said that in 2009 Reid went home to New York to visit family and during that visit "struck up a relationship with Angela Ruizzi", someone he had known since high school. This relationship continued long distance via texts and facebook. Mr. Gallegos said that Reid was "engaged in the unlawful cultivation  of marijuana in California."

On Feb 3, 2010, the night prosecutors believe that Reid was murdered, there were conversations between Ruizzi and Reid on cell-phones and facebook. The last conversation Ruizzi had with Reid was at 9:34 p.m.

"Absent Eddie Lee and Limmie Curry, Angela Ruizzi was the last person to talk to Billy Reid."

Starting at 11:42 p.m. that night and until 11:59 p.m., there were phone calls between Eddie Lee, Reid and Moriah Foster, Lee's girlfriend.

Prosecutors believe that Reid was murdered sometime between 11:59 p.m. and 3 a.m by Eddie Lee and Limmie Curry. Foster and Lee's sister Jessica  were at the L.K. wood apartment and Mr. Gallegos said that Lee and Curry returned to that apartment after 3. a.m.

Mr. Gallegos said that Lee and Curry killed Reid, took over his marijuana grow and burnt his body and property in a burn pile behind the house. They emptied his bedroom.

Mr. Gallegos referred to people involved in his argument but the relationship between the people was clarified when Mr. Stallworth gave his opening statement.

Mr. Gallegos said that after murdering Reid, Lee and Fister moved onto Reid's property and into his bedroom. All four of them between Feb 3, 2010 and February 18, 2010, when Lee was arrested, went on a lavish shopping spree.

Mr. Gallegos showed receipts of flat screen TV's, large payments of cash, videos from Target that the People will introduce to back up these claims.

On February 15, Marilyn Reid, William's sister called the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office because she had not heard from her brother. The HCSO deputies went up to the Three Creek Road residence and when they arrived there, they were told by Foster and Lee that Reid went back east.  Mr. Gallegos added at this point that Lee and Foster were trimmers for Reid.

When the deputies went to look for Lee who was in the house, they saw firearms, Reid's dogs were nowhere to be found and that Lee "took off running" when he saw law enforcement. "The flight of Eddie Lee is evidence of his subconcious guilt and so are his lies to law enforcement," said Mr. Gallegos.

Mr. Gallegos posted statements made by Lee on Feb 16, 18 and 19 in which he changed his story about where Reid was and when Foster and he last saw Reid. Mr. Gallegos told the jury Lee's fingerprints were on the burnt property which was not completely destroyed. He showed evidence where Lee claimed to have no monthly income in January 2010 yet 12 days later once the murder occurred, he spent approximately $10,000 in shopping and "4Gs" he claimed to have deposited in Moriah's account even when he was in jail. Some of this information is from phone recordings in jail. Prosecutors showed evidence of Lee wiring amounts of cash to Curry via Western Union.

There was a map found on the coffee table in the L.K. wood apartment with three cars parked just the way law enforcement found when they went to Reid's house, Reid's residence marked on the map, a "smoking burn pile", receipts of ammo purchased in January 2009 "which showed "premeditation of murder," according to Mr. Gallegos.

When Lee was questioned in front of Foster with inconsistencies in his statement pointed out, Mr. Gallegos said Curry killed Reid. "The only connection between Limmie Curry and Billy Reid is Eddie Lee"

"Some people say greed is the root of all evil, whether it is or not; it is a powerful motivator. People submit greed as a motive for murder."

Mr. Gallegos concluded by saying that once the jury will hear all the evidence, the only verdict they will come back with is guilty.