Sep 25, 2015

"She started coughing and blood started coming out of her mouth, she started gurgling."

Before Shavonne Hammers, the People's first witness started her testimony yesterday in the Jason Arreaga case, Deputy District Attorney Zack Curtis showed her a copy of the immunity agreement she had signed on Wednesday, September 23. And she testified what that meant in court.

She said she knew Arreaga because his girlfriend Carly Michaels "used to babysit my boyfriend's grandson."

Her boyfriend Andrew Asbill, who she was living with in Lake County, got into a fight and she said he gave her one hundred dollars to get a ride to Humboldt County. "I asked Jason and Carly for a ride. I was planning to come up to my mother's place."

Hammers testified that the first place she stopped at in Humboldt with Arreaga and Michael's was Angie Ehler's house. "We got high. Angie, Jason and I went to the casino. Carly stayed behind to watch Angie's kids."

Hammers responded to Mr. Curtis' question about Michael's age by saying, "I was told two different ages, 17 and 19." Hammers said she was high on meth that day and that "it keeps me up and makes me lose track of time."  She said Ehlers drove to the casino in her car and she drove to the casino in Arreaga's car. They stayed at the Casino until sunrise. Hammers did not remember where she went to get breakfast. She said Arreaga called her come and "get him from the Casino since security was hassling him for selling drugs."

They headed back to Ehler's place. "There was a drug transaction," said Hammers. "Jason sold Beau some heroin." Mr. Curtis asked Hammers if she was anxious about testifying. She responded, "I'm anxious to testify, period."

They then went to another house belonging to Gary Barrick. She saw Harley Hammers and Angel Tully there. She said Tully was her best friend and they "grew up together and was closer to me than my sister." Hammers said her marriage was very abusive. They were homeless a lot of the time. "He cheated on me a lot. It wasn't a very good marriage at the end of it." Hammers said that Tully took care of her son while she was homeless. The friendship ended when "Angel had an affair" with Harley Hammers.

Shavonne Hammers calimed that on facebook Angel Tully had threatened to beat her up. "I told her to get out of the car and she needed to get her ass kicked."

She said Harley Hammers asked Arreaga and her to move their car or he was going to "ram it."

She said he did not do that, instead he got out of his vehicle. She said Arreaga's car was behind Harley Hammers vehicle and in front of Harley Hammers car was a garage. She said "two shots were fired by Harley's feet. " She said she did not see a firearm because "my focus was on my husband."

Shavonne Hammers said she had never seen Arreaga with a firearm. "I told Mr. Arreaga what are you doing. That's my kids' father." She said she did not know if she could use the exact language she used that day in court.

She said they left and so did Harley Hammers and Angel Tully. They went back to Ehler's house. "Jason was getting high and asked me if I wanted to get high. I said no because we were going to see my son and my mother. "

She said they went to her mom's place and her brother was outside. Some words were exchanged, she described it as sibling rivalry. Her son asked her if she had been drinking. She told him that she only had a beer. Her son called her a liar and said that is where he gets it from. This upset her. She said she pushed her son down on the couch.

Arreaga, Michaels and Shavonne Hammers left her mom's place and she wanted to go back to Lake County.

They went to the liquor store near the Safeway in McKinleyville. She bought alcohol and cigarettes. She saw someone she knew from school, Jerry Bachus and he asked her if she wanted to "go to Angie's and get high with them."

Shavonne Hammers said they went back to Ehler's house and she tried to "straighten up the trailer so they could get high inside." She said Arreaga and Michaels were outside and that she was drinking alcohol and "her pills were taking effect." Hammers said she was "not feeling well and laid back down in the back bedroom. Carly came in and said she has something in her hand and is going to hit you." Shavonne said she thought Carly was referring to Angel Tully. "I didn;t have anything in the trailer to defend myself."

"I heard two pops and it scared me," said Hammers. "I wasn't really with it. All I heard was two. I walked outside. The silence was eerie. It was quiet. No ruckus. Nobody around. Didn't see Jason or Carly. I walked towards where vehicle was parked. I had seen Angel lying on the ground with a bit of blood in her mouth. I thought she had got knocked out."

"She started coughing and blood started coming out of her mouth, she started gurgling. she started choking." While she was testifying about this, Shavonne Hammers started crying on the stand. Angel Tully's sister who has been at almost every court hearing, put her head down when she heard this testimony.

"Did you do anything to help her?" asked Mr. Curtis.

"Yes, the only thing I did was to pull her to her side so she wouldn't choke. Her eyes were locked with mine and she kept making awful sounds. I watched her eyes go from a normal color to a glossy color." After this Hammers broke down on the stand crying.

She said Tully's body was behind Arreaga's vehicle. "I saw Jason and Carly in my peripheral. I remember him stating there is nothing you can do for her. Jason told us to get in the car. I said you can't go. You will run over her. Mr. Arreaga pulled her like a rag doll. Just yanked her like it was nothing towards a tree."

Shavonne Hammers said she did not see Harley Hammers or Jerry Bachus but "his vehicle was still there."

Arreaga looked shocked and surprised at some of Shavonne Hammers testimony and would turn and whisper to his attorney, Ms. Holmquist.

Hammers said she did not recall who put gas in the car once they had left the crime scene. "I told him you are going to get caught. They will put out an all points bulletin. I asked him what happened. He told me he shot them because they were coming at him in a threatening manner."

She said they went near the River bar and changed clothes and washed the "blood off her." Did not remember if "Carly" had any blood on her. " Hammers said that "Carly had been using drugs, meth and heroin in Lake County," not sure what Michaels may have used in Humboldt County.

Hammers said they burned their clothes in a fire pit and that Arreaga said they were not leaving until dark "because he wanted to burn the clothes and did not want anyone to see smoke."

She then described what happened when law enforcement pulled them over. "The way they were following us," she said they knew they "were being followed by an undercover cop."

She said Michaels was asleep in the backseat and after law enforcement did not get any response from her, "they grabbed her legs and ripped her out of the vehicle."


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