Opinion ID: 2639471
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Darlene's Behavior After August 8, 1984

Text: Immediately after Debbie's disappearance and the conversation at the Exxon station, Darlene began to act strangely. She also began to accuse defendant of committing the murders. For example, Barbara Rugg, who was in charge of the foster home during Nona Chapman's vacation, testified that on August 11, 1984, Darlene started talking about guts and whatnot and was acting strange. Darlene, stated Rugg, had a knife and was singing a chant. Rugg called the police at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, August 12. Placerville Police Officer Dannaker arrived. Darlene told him she thought Denise and Debbie were dead. She added, I have visions about them being murdered. I see Denise being strangled and Debbie having her head bashed in. Officer Dannaker asked Darlene if defendant had anything to do with the disappearance of Denise or Debbie. She replied, I don't know, he might have. When he asked her why, Darlene said, I have these feelings. That's all I know. Darlene was afraid that if [defendant] found out she had been talking to the Placerville Police about him that she might be hurt by him. On August 12, Darlene directed Officer Dannaker and other police officers to North South Road by Camps Crossing. They were going to search for graves. Darlene told Rugg before she went out to look for the bodies, It's all going to be over with, Mike's going to be arrested. Darlene directed them to the Camp Creek Bridge. Once there, however, Darlene stated she had no idea where any bodies were buried. At that point, Officer Dannaker drove her back to the foster home. Shirley W., Darlene's mother, testified that when Debbie was missing, she received several calls from her daughter, who was very upset, crying. She told her mother, Momma, I did not kill Debbie, Mike killed Debbie. She would not tell her mother how she knew the information. Nona Chapman testified that when she returned to the foster home from her vacation on August 13, Darlene was an entirely different person. For example, Darlene was chopping a piece of binder paper with scissors. After Chapman told her to put down the scissors, Darlene took out her knife and jabbed another piece of paper. When Chapman asked her to put the knife down, Darlene said, What's the matter, are you afraid I'll stab you? On August 14, because Darlene was acting so strangely, she was taken from the foster home and spent 48 hours in a psychiatric facility.