Opinion ID: 2545831
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Murder of Robert Weber

Text: In August 1985, defendant's friend Robert Weber lived in Concord. He was a minor scale cocaine dealer who was in debt to other drug dealers, including defendant. On August 13, Weber told his girlfriend, Linda Brown, that he and defendant were leaving for a few days to buy drugs. Weber took with him $17,000, a sawed-off shotgun, and a 9-mm. semiautomatic handgun. Around 7 o'clock that evening, Weber telephoned Brown and told her he was in the town of Clearlake with defendant but that the people they were planning to meet had not shown up. On August 17, 1985, defendant and an armed companion went to Weber's condominium. While there, defendant answered a telephone call from Brown, who asked about Weber. Defendant told her he had waited for Weber in a motel for three days but that Weber never showed up. (Actually, defendant and Weber had stayed at the El Grande motel in Clearlake the nights of August 13 and 14.) On August 18, two deer hunters found a man's body, later identified as Weber's, on a hillside on Walker Ridge in Colusa County, about 18 miles from Clearlake. Sheriffs deputies summoned to the scene found bloodstains and four expended 9-millimeter casings a short distance from Weber's body. Weber had died of multiple gunshot wounds to the head, back, chest, throat and both arms. He had been dead at least 24 hours when the hunters discovered his body. While in custody some eight months later in Nevada County, after his arrest on the warrant for being a felon in possession of a concealable firearm, defendant discussed the Weber killing with Deputy Steven McCulloch of the Colusa County Sheriffs Department. Defendant led McCulloch to the site at Walker Ridge where he had killed Weber. Defendant mentioned that Weber was walking in front of him on top of a hill, and when Weber turned around, defendant shot him several times with a 9-millimeter pistol. Defendant then dragged Weber's body some distance and rolled it over the side of the hill, noting that shrubbery stopped it from rolling farther down the hill. The area was the same location where, earlier in August 1985, hunters had discovered the body, and sheriffs deputies had found bloodstains and expended 9-millimeter casings. Defendant denied that Weber had any money on him when killed. According to defendant, It was murder for hire. Defendant said that some people, whom he refused to name, had paid him $10,000 in advance to kill Weber, and defendant then devised a bogus drug deal to lure Weber to the remote area outside Clearlake. In December 1986, while awaiting trial in this case, defendant wrote to Weber's brother Michael: Thought I'd write you one and only letter to let you know something that's been eating away at me since your brother's death. It's obvious who pulled the trigger. I'm curious if you ever think about who put the `thing' in motion or who put up the `money' to have it done. Those people are still out there just like you are. Your brother died being a good friend of mine. He owed me $32,000 but that's not the reason he died. You're probably relieved about my situation but you should still keep in mind the other `responsibles' involved besides myself. I was used as a `tool' and nothing else.... I'm certainly not innocent of many things that I've been accused of but concerning your brother I was only a `tool' used by the `other people.' After I'm executed or if I am executed those `other people' will still be out there. Sometimes I wish they would be executed right along side of me. They deserve it also in my opinion.