"On that evening, Matt had no choice but to shoot"

"Mr. Brown and I both understand the seriousness and sadness in a case where a human being was killed," is how Brown's attorney, Mr. Greg Elvine-Kreiss started his opening to the jury this morning.

"Mr. Brown tried to work this out with Mr. Decker. Evidence will show that Mr. Decker was intimidating. Mr. Brown shot Mr. Decker in the chest; Mr. Decker shot in self-defense."

Mr. Elvine-Kreiss countered the People's opening by sating that," The People cannot prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt;  this was a justifiable homicide." Mr. Elvine-Kreiss said that Rancho Sequoia where the murder occurred "has been described as the Wild West."

"You will hear that Mr. Decker lied to people to turn them against Matt. That he was violent. You will hear testimony that he hated Matt."

"You will hear testimony that in one incident Matt tried to defend himself from Neil with bear spray. You will hear testimony that Neil threw a knife at Matt and Matt ran away." Mr. Elvine-Kreiss referring to the gun that Ms. Neel said Brown carried all the time and which was a part of his outfit claimed that Brown carried that shotgun because he was afraid of Decker and what he might do.

Mr. Elvine-Kreiss said that evidence would show that both Decker and Johnson were part of a vigilante group and that Brown had heard about another murder, another body being disposed of and later after he fled the crime scene that Johnson was shot 4 days later. "Matt knew that they resolved conflicts with violence. He didn't call the police because he knew that they dealt with conflicts with vigilante justice "

"Matt was an outsider, he moved to the area. He fled because Scott Johnson took his gun and tried to kill him. He was in the woods, in a area with dirt roads with very little police presence and limited cell service."

Mr.  Elvine Kreiss said that Brown moved up here to "help a father figure and that he wanted to come up and make some money."

He said that Brown will testify about a secret room upstairs in Johnson's house where there was a gun. Decker was shot upstairs in Johnson's house. "You are going to see a culture of guns."

"People who are going to testify loved Neil. Now they will say he is calm. But at first they said he was angry with a clenched jaw. On that evening, Matt had no choice but to shoot."