Opinion ID: 889130
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Giddings's Statements while in Jail

Text: ¶ 38 Giddings called King after his arrest to ask King to take care of some things. King visited Giddings in jail. King told Giddings that the police wanted to talk with King. King expressed his concern about the interview due to his lack of an alibi. He claimed to have been home alone sleeping at the time of Amy's murder. Giddings changed his story about Amy's death after he learned that King did not have a solid alibi. Giddings now claimed that King had killed Amy, although Giddings previously had insisted that Mike Mix had killed her. ¶ 39 Witnesses said that Giddings also had told inconsistent stories about Amy's murder while he was in jail awaiting trial. Shannon Rawlins (Rawlins), Ryan Mulcahy (Mulcahy), and John Gillette (Gillette) each testified about statements Giddings made while they were in jail together. Giddings told Rawlins that he remembered going to Amy's house for methamphetamine or money. Giddings said he remembered arguing with Amy and striking her, but then blacked out. Giddings claimed that he next remembered leaving the house covered in blood. Rawlins said that Giddings offered to pay him around $3000 if after Rawlins's release from jail he would get rid of Joe MacDonald, a witness in Giddings's case. ¶ 40 Giddings told Mulcahy that King had committed the murder and that Giddings had attempted only to dispose of the evidence. Giddings consistently denied killing Amy in his conversations with Mulcahy or even having been present when she was killed. Giddings told Gillette that he had stopped by the Rolfe residence to collect money from a methamphetamine deal, and that Mix was not there. Giddings said that he had argued with Amy, and that he had hit her repeatedly until she fell down. Gillette testified that Giddings previously had told him various contradictory stories about Amy's murder, including that he had not been involved at all, and that Mix had been involved in cleaning up the murder. ¶ 41 The State charged Giddings on July 27, 2005, with Count IDeliberate Homicide, Count IITampering With or Fabricating Physical Evidence, and Count IIIPossession of Dangerous Drugs and Solicitation. The State later added Count IVTampering with a Witness/Informant. The trial began on January 8, 2007, after numerous continuances. The jury convicted Giddings of Counts I through III and found Giddings not guilty of Count IV. The court sentenced Giddings to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Giddings appeals.