Yesterday, when court ended for the day, Demetrius Coleman had just finished testifying about running into Mariah Acosta while "me and my girl were driving." This was in May/June 2019.
Alma Ahumadamendoza did not know about him and Acosta. "It was very awkward." Coleman did not tell Ahumadamendoza about Acosta because he did not want to hurt her feelings.
In August, on a date prior to the day Johnny Renfro was shot, Coleman said he was robbed in the Target parking lot "in broad daylight. It was three people in a white truck. They lured me to meet up with them. I had bags with me. "
Coleman said he was referred to these people by someone. He had "30 to 40 pounds. I thought I was meeting the guys." Coleman mentioned "Tragic and "Trap."
"They show up. They look at the bag and said they wanted it. I went to get the rest of the bags. The money wasn't the same they showed me before."
Coleman told one of the guys to count it out. There were two guys, one on each side of him. Coleman saw a third guy. At that point, "I said nah."
The guys started taking the totes of marijuana. Coleman said to them, "I haven't even counted the money." There was a struggle. Coleman said the deal was cancelled. After he said that a gun was in his face. Coleman said, "take it, go." Ahumadamendoza and her son were in Target and Coleman was concerned they might walk out any minute. The men left the "phony money."
Some of the weed he was trying to sell belonged to Regina Osenbaugh and Jovan Ignjatovic. Coleman called a friend and told him, "I just got robbed at gunpoint." He asked the friend "if he should call the cops."
"The people I deal with--that taught me to do what I do--there is good Humboldt and bad Humboldt--they all said don't call the police. True people from Humboldt. There are no guns. It is peaceful and friendly."
The friend said, "he would handle it." Coleman talked with "Regina and Jovan about the robbery. I paid them back for the pounds that went missing."
Osenbaugh told Coleman "My best friend is a private investigator. I have people who work in the police department in Rio Dell. I have my own way of handling things".
The statement by Osenbaugh was "striken from the record" as hearsay objection but the jury has already heard testimony about Sgt. John Beauchaine and his relationship with the McHenrys and Osenbaugh. The jury has heard how Rio Dell police did not search the McHenry property and Osenbaugh's property.
On August 29, 2019, Coleman's plan was to "make some money" and go see his family and his mother in North Dakota. In previous testimony by Acosta, it was mentioned that his mother was dying of cancer. Coleman had plans to meet some big clients.
He explained why and how he ended up picking up Acosta that day. Acosta kept making sexual overtures to Coleman which he rebuffed. Acosta wanted them to work and make deals like they did before and was pissed that he was now working with Ahumadamendoza.
When Acosta accompanied him to Bayfront for his meeting with Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic, as he "was pulling up" she said "Oh, the Bulgarians. Mariah and I know the same farmers. "
Coleman said he spoke with Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic about a deal. Told them the sample had "been locked in." Coleman's cut was $200,000. Acosta overheard this conversation.
Coleman said that Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic "changed the number on me" and explained that was the cost of marijuana. Acosta told Coleman, "I know Regina; I know Jovan."
After that meeting, Coleman put "40 pounds" and "Dread's" tote in the gray jeep and four samples in the green Honda.
He avoided hanging out with Acosta as much as he could that day. At the playdate, he said he had to work and stayed in his car on the phone. Coleman was in the green Honda and Ahumadamendoza was driving the gray jeep with Acosta and their sons.
At the park, Coleman said, "my phone was blowing up. " Coleman said "Dread", another broker, "pulls up" and asks about his weed. "Dread" is Jamaican and has dreadlocks. "Dread" takes his weed back to his truck. Ahumadamendoza and Acosta leave to go to Walmart. Coleman is on his phone and getting ready to follow them to Walmart.
"Two trucks pull up." One was the same truck from the Target robbery. Coleman thinks the second truck was "grey or blue." There are "three-four black men" and "guns in his face." Two of them are "Tragic" and "Oliver." During this robbery, Coleman is pistol whipped on the side of his head by "Oliver."
"I get snatched out of my car at gunpoint. While they are grabbing my marijuana, I get hit on the head and the gun goes off. " There is a struggle and the gun is dropped on the middle of the street.
Coleman picks it up and puts it in his car in the front passenger seat "so no one else harms me with it." It is a black pistol. "Dread" is still around yelling "that's my weed." Coleman leaves and goes to Walmart.
Coleman go meet some clients at a hotel near Target in Eureka. "Dread" calls him, "Where are you at? Bro, that's my weed. Don't trip. Gimme that gun."
Coleman tells him he leaving Walmart, driving by Sears. "Dread" calls again and says he is at McDonalds. Coleman said he "met up with Dread at the little Asian hotel by Bucks Sporting Goods. "
"Dread" gets out of the passenger seat from a gold colored Tundra. "The driver is a white guy."
"Dread" said he knows who stole the weed. Coleman said that "Dread" got into the driver's seat of the green Honda. Coleman explained why he wasn't in the passenger seat and ended up in the backseat. Coleman had appointments in Rio Dell. Coleman started to have some concerns about "Dread" who he described as "my boy.
"Dread" said, "I am about to get my pounds back." Coleman told him "You go do what you need to do. I got things to do." He told "Dread" to pull over.
"Dread" grabbed the gun which was in the front passenger seat. Coleman was on the phone with Ahumadamendoza and was telling her "to come get me. This fool won't let me out. Dread asked me who I was on the phone with."
Coleman kept asking "Dread" to let him out to no avail. Before they got to Rio Dell, "Dread" pointed the gun at Coleman and told him to "shut the fuck up." Coleman was in the back seat "squatting on the floor."
Once they entered Rio Dell and turned on Wildwood, "Dread" said "there he go; there he go. We drove past this kid. He was black; changing his clothes next to a blue Jeep. Dread said there he go; there he go."
"Dread" went around the block. That is where the whole exchange with Coleman asking Acosta "where is Alma" happened. Samples of weed from the gray jeep were thrown into the Honda and then "Dread floors it."
"Then we drove past. I hear pop, pop, pop." Coleman said to "Dread" 'what are you doing?' and "Dread" tells Coleman "to shut the fuck up."
"Dread" was wearing a white/offwhite shirt with stripes. Coleman described the color as the jacket his attorney was wearing in court.
"Dread" threw the gun into a river. This is while they are driving over a bridge near Rio Dell. Coleman called Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic. There was a guy from "Game and Wildlife" on Hwy 36 and "Dread" tells Coleman "N__r, don't say anything."
The truck that was at Bucks Sporting Good showed up. "Oliver" was with the white guy. "
"Dread" left with them. Coleman got into the green Honda and went to Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic's property which is close by. He told Ahumadamendoza to meet him there.
When Coleman was at Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic's house, he took a shower. They offered him food. The car was vaccumed by "Regina, Jovan and some worker." Coleman left his car with Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic because he owed them money for weed taken in the robbery.
Coleman said he did not know Renfro. Learned about the shooting, Renfro's death, Renfro's name from news articles and that he was the suspect. Coleman explained the text messages to Remix.
During redirect, Ms. Sullivan asked him why he was crying during Collette Niles' testimony. This is the defense witness who testified about a third car present and an exchange before Renfro was shot. She testified that there was someone in the backseat of the green Honda.
Coleman said when he heard Niles testify "it woke him up. It validated for me what I have been telling you from the first day I met you."
Coleman said Oliver was aka "Jamaica." Is this Oliver the Oliver "Muhammad", one of the guys who had an argument with Renfro in Arcata.
Will the jury believe Coleman? His testimony further exposes the lies and inconsistecies of Acosta, Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic. Who will the jury believe? Unlike Acosta, Osenbaugh and Ignjatovic, Coleman was consistent. He did not try and hide who he was and how he made a living.
Unlike most of the People's witnesses who didn't really want to testify or be involved until contacted and subpoenaed; Coleman took the stand. He did not have to testify because the People's case had plenty of reasonable doubt. The evidence was weak and the investigation sloppy.
I hope when the jury deliberates , they read and pay attention to witness credibility and reasonable doubt jury instructions.
Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Schaffer grilled Coleman for 20 minutes, interrupted his answers yet failed to impeach him. In fact, she solidified his testimony because he was consistent on cross.
Coleman was calm and respectful. Ms. Schaffer's one attempt to try and discredit Coleman was petty and ridiculous. Coleman said he convicted of attempted robbery. Ms. Schaffer said it was attempted residential robbery. That one word isn't inconsistency nor does it impact Coleman's credibility. It is childish and desperate move by a prosecutor with a weak case. Coleman's prior convictions are part of the complaint.
Coleman explained the pistol in the green Honda and he explained the guns in his storage locker and said they were not his guns. If the People had evidence that these belonged to Coleman, Ms. Schaffer would have brought it up.
The best moment of the cross before lunch was Ms. Schaffer saying "you claim" to Coleman when asking him about his testimony and his response "my truth; the truth."
Most of her cross consisted of her being rude to Coleman, baiting him and failing, mistating his testimony at times which he respectfully corrected and asking irrelevant questions. Defense objection about relevance was sustained by Judge Kelly Neel.
Coleman gave an explaination on why he did not mention "Dread" in his interview with Rio Dell Chief Conner did not believe him. Chief Conner kept telling Coleman, " you did it." Ms. Schaffer's question on why Coleman did not get out of the backseat when "Dread" and he were by Ahumadamendoza's car in Rio Dell is something I knew she would ask. I already knew the answer.
Coleman had already testified "Dread" wouldn't let him out of the green Honda. It is a two door car. To get out, you have to be able to access the front part of the car. "Dread refused to let Coleman out of the car. He was pointing a pistol and had told Coleman "to shut the fuck up."
Ms. Schaffer has not been pistol whipped or held at gunpoint by someone in the illegal marijuana industry. She has not a gun pointed at her twice in the same day, told to "shut the fuck up" or been in a situation that developed rapidly and one she did not expect. She has never had to survive, let alone know what it feels like to be turned on by locals. She has never lived in Coleman's world and I suspect, neither have most jurors .
The People's witnesses lied, they hid information, they were evasive on the stand and had many inconsistencies. Hopefully, the jurors will see the lack of evidence and take the burden of proof seriously.
With Humboldt juries, you never know.
Defense rested shortly after 2 p.m. People have rebuttal witnesses on Monday. As I previously reported, the trial not in session on election day as several jurors plan to vote in person. Final jury instruction and closing arguments expected Wednesday.
So many court cases and deaths in Humboldt due to the black market marijuana industry. It still exists and legalization of cannabis is a joke. It is revenue generating for the state. Besides that nothing has changed.
Many Humboldt and generational locals have made their money through pot or government subsidies and by locals shutting down anyone who challenges the status quo and the corruption and any competition the clique does not approve. These include Republicans and Democrats.
Murder Mountain, people missing, people killed, certain "local media", certain law enforcement all look the other way. Criminals, people, living at home on fixed income and gossip permeates certain online news sites and neighborhood Facebook pages and gossip is rampant.
The rest of Humboldt has a life which is not on Facebook or gossiping online and commenting anonymously. These are people working to make a honest living and not into drama.
How many jurors and "media" posting from their "ivory tower" know the deals near parks, at hotels and motels, in parking lots, in alleys. People see what they chose to see.
Rio Dell police department could have done an iron clad investigation. Now we have a jury deliberating in the middle of a pandemic, after one of the most polarized election and economic and health concerns on people's minds. The jury has the unfortunate job of deliberating a crappy case and prosecution.
Previous post:
https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2020/10/it-wasnt-like-i-was-attracted-to-her-i.html?m=1
Related post:
https://johnchiv.blogspot.com/2020/10/there-is-good-reason-that-county-took.html?m=1
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