Opinion ID: 2639408
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Johnny Davenport's extrajudicial statement and, testimony

Text: After defendant, Moore and Lavera were arrested, Detective Morton Duff twice interviewed Johnny Davenport, who knew all three suspects and who, by the time of trial, was incarcerated at Avenal State Prison on a 1987 robbery conviction. During the second interview, Davenport gave a statement that, redacted to eliminate minor irrelevancies, read as follows: It was about Noon when this guy from the Eight-Trey I know as Blackie came over. He was telling me, Tracey [Carter], Andre [Moore], and Todd [Lavera] that he had gotten into a fight with an East Coaster who killed a guy named Otis that was from our set. Todd got real mad about it and said he had a `gat' (a gun) and he wanted to go bust on the East Coast. Todd left for five to ten minutes and then came back with this old raggedy .22 pistol. When he showed it to us it had a nail holding the cylinder. When he pulled out the nail, it fell apart. Todd was asking if anyone had some more shells because he only had about (4) in the gun. [ถ] ... I stayed around the house until 12:00 or 1:00 p.m. then I went over to Andre's. Andre started telling me about the Mexicans at the liquor store. Andre said he tried to jack them and when he stuck the gun up to the window, the guy tried to roll the window up on his hand. Andre said he dropped the gun and when he picked it up he started shooting at both the Mexicans. Andre said he shot, he ran. While Andre was telling about the Mexicans at the liquor store at Florence and Hoover, Tracey came up. That's why I was wondering why the hood got hot, the police were everywhere. After Andre finished telling me about shooting the Mexicans, they both, Tracey and Andre, started telling me about a preacher they jacked. Tracey said when he walked up the preacher was at the telephone booth. Tracey told the preacher to give him the money. That's when the preacher started praying. That's when Tracey said he shot the preacher. Tracey said it was at Slauson and Broadway where it happened. I don't know whether it was the same day or the next day. [ถ] Andre said they got a car. Then it was Andre who told me about the lady. They got her out of the car and they jetted out. He said they parked the car and threw the keys on the roof. While Andre was telling me about the car, Tracey was there along with some others, but I don't remember who else. It was both Tracey and Andre that was telling me about Todd getting picked after the police dog found him running or hiding on 73rd and Hoover. After the police took him to jail, they let him go. I don't remember whether it was Andre or Tracey that said they threw the gun after they ran from the liquor store. On direct examination, Davenport testified that he and Moore were members of the 7-4 Hoover Crips, while defendant was a member of the 84 Kitchen Crips. [2] The 7-4 Hoover Crips and the Kitchen Crips would hang out together. Sometimes Davenport would hang out at 70th Street and Bonsallo Avenue with other 7-4 Hoover Crips, and defendant and Moore were sometimes present. Davenport denied having made substantial portions of his extrajudicial statement. Davenport recalled having a conversation, prior to the Thompson murder, with Moore, Lavera and someone named Black concerning the killing of Otis Jones, a member of the 7-4 Hoover Crips, and how Black had had a fight with a member of the East Coast Crips who may have had something to do with Jones's death. Davenport first denied telling the police defendant was present during that conversation, then said he did not remember whether he told them that. Davenport denied telling the police the conversation angered Lavera, or that Lavera said he had a gat (i.e., a gun) and wanted to go bust on the East Coast, although he recalled that Lavera went home at that point and later returned with a small gun with a nail holding the cylinder in place. Davenport claimed not to recognize People's exhibit No. 6, the gun found by Jose Alvarado, but acknowledged that during Lavera's trial he had testified the gun looked similar to the one Lavera had possessed during their conversation. The day after the conversation, Davenport testified, he spoke with Moore in the driveway of Moore's residence on Bonsallo Avenue. Moore told Davenport some Mexicans had got killed. Davenport denied telling the police that Moore told him he tried to jack (i.e., rob) them and when he put the gun to the window the guy tried to roll the window up on his hand. Davenport further denied telling the police that Moore had told him he dropped the gun and, when he picked it up, he started shooting at both the Mexicans. Davenport denied telling the police that, as Moore was telling him about the Mexicans at the liquor store, defendant came up to them; or that, after Moore finished telling him about shooting the Mexicans, Moore and defendant both started to tell him about how they had jacked a preacher. Davenport denied telling the police that defendant said the preacher was at the phone booth and that defendant shot the preacher after demanding that he give defendant his money. Davenport denied telling the police that Moore said they got the lady out of the car and jetted out, then parked the car and threw the keys onto the roof. He denied telling the police he didn't remember whether it was Moore or defendant who said they threw the gun after they ran from the liquor store. The prosecutor showed Davenport a threepage statement, marked as People's exhibit No. 31; Davenport acknowledged that the first time he had seen the statement was at the police station in 1987 and that the initials on various lines, as well as the signature at the bottom of each page, were his own. He acknowledged traveling to Lavera's trial by helicopter, accompanied by Detective Duff. He denied, however, telling Duff that everything contained in the statement was true but he could not say so in court because he had to live in the prison system. On cross-examination, Davenport testified he was first contacted by the police two or three days after the incidents when at least five officers, including Detective Duff, came to his house, handcuffed him and drove him in an unmarked car to the Newton Community station. There he was uncuffed and placed in a small room where he was interviewed by Duff and another officer. Davenport testified the officers had told him something to the effect that they had information that he was with Moore on the day of the crimes, although on redirect examination he acknowledged the officers might have said they had information he and Moore had been talking about the killings. The officers talked with Davenport for six to seven hours, with breaks. At first, he told them nothing, but after they told him they knew he had information about the incident and that he was going to stay in jail until he told them something, he lied to them. Duff wrote down Davenport's statements. Davenport was then released. The following day, officers again picked him up and brought him to Newton station, telling him they knew everything he had said was a lie. Davenport feared they would charge him with the murders, too. Because the officers said his first statement was not good enough, Davenport gave them another statement, like the first almost all of it lies. As Duff wrote down Davenport's statement, he altered it, putting in names where Davenport was omitting them. After the statement was complete, Duff allowed Davenport to read the statement and told him to sign it. Davenport complied because he figured at the time that was the only way for me to get out of jail. On redirect, however, Davenport acknowledged he had testified at the preliminary hearing in this case that he was not afraid because he knew he had had nothing to do with the murders. He testified further on redirect that he did not remember giving the statement in People's exhibit No. 31, or parts of it, to Detective Duff; that he had not read the whole statement, but knew that any names it contained were added by Duff because he did not name any names; and that he did tell Duff the matters set forth on the first page, but not the second or third page, of the statement. Davenport acknowledged that if he admitted the matters contained in his statement, he would get a snitch jacket [3] in prison, but denied that this caused him any concern. Detective Duff testified about the circumstances of his interviews with Davenport. Davenport was not a suspect in the two murders and was told he had been named as a person present when the crimes were being discussed. The first interview with Davenport lasted about 30 to 45 minutes. Davenport was asked if it was true he had been present during a discussion of the homicides; he disclaimed being present or knowing anything about it. Duff testified Davenport had lied when he testified the first interview lasted six or seven hours, the second interview lasted seven or eight hours, and that Duff had told him he would be kept in custody until he told the officers what Duff wanted to hear. Duff had heard Davenport lie on other occasions, including once under oath. Duff testified that People's exhibit No. 31 was a summary of what Davenport had told the police. Following the interview Davenport was given an opportunity to read the statement. Apart from adding the word Andre to the third line of the statement, Davenport indicated he had no additions or corrections or anything he wanted to delete from the statement. Duff also testified that Davenport told him everything contained in his statement was true, but that he could not testify to it because he was in prison and if he testified the statement was true he would be a dead man. On cross-examination, Duff acknowledged that, although the police station had equipment capable of surreptitiously recording a witness's statement, he chose not to use it while interviewing Davenport.