Opinion ID: 771185
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidentiary Basis of the Case Against Whelchel

Text: 33 The district court correctly held that the Confrontation Clause error had a substantial and injurious effect or influence on the jury. The case against Whelchel consisted of three types of evidence: (1) physical evidence; (2) the testimony of third parties who either heard Whelchel make incriminating statements about the murder or placed him near the scene; and (3) the testimony of the four co-defendants. 34
35 The physical evidence against Whelchel is scant. Noblood was found on Whelchel's clothes and though two wooden table legs were found, neither were ever conclusively determined to have been the murder weapon. Additionally, the prosecution could not establish that a knife found in Whelchel's car, allegedly used to stab Margo, belonged to Whelchel. Testimony at trial suggested that the knife used in the stabbing was very similar to one bought by McKee; indeed McKee's were the only fingerprints found on this knife. There was also testimony that McKee and Flota tried to sell the knife used to kill Margo sometime between the murder and their arrest. 36 The only piece of physical evidence linking Whelchel to the murder was Margo's purse, which was found in Whelchel's car. The presence of the purse in Whelchel's car, however, comports with Whelchel's testimony that he helped Flota and McKee cover up the crime after the fact, in part by bringing a box full of items containing Flota's clothes to his house to wash blood from them. According to Whelchel's testimony, he was stopped by police when he was returning the clothes and other items in the box to Flota. 37
38 Whelchel argues that the testimony of his alleged confessions to third parties was also not overwhelmingly powerful. The prosecution presented seven different witnesses to whom Whelchel allegedly admitted committing the murder or said that he planned to do so. Turina Liebrecht testified that Whelchel said, We killed [Margo]. Audrey McClelland also testified that Whelchel told her that we killed  Margo. Whelchel contends that these statements are consistent with his story that he was involved in the conspiracy to cover up the murder after the fact. 39 Likewise, Whelchel argues that Tracy Weaver's testimony only implicated Whelchel in the conspiracy. Weaver testified that Whelchel had come and said [that] him and his friends killed Jerry's [McKee's] wife [Margo].  Mary Mosley's testimony was to the same effect. Mosley testified that she heard Whelchel, referring to Margo, say, We're going to kill her. 40 Steve Kirkendoll testified that Whelchel told him,Margo was going to be killed, and, he [Whelchel ] wanted her killed. On cross examination, Kirkendoll stated that Whelchel never told him that he was going to kill Margo himself. Kirkendoll also testified that he had previously been injured by Whelchel; Kirkendoll characterized it as a sucker punch to the head, which led to a three-day hospital stay. Obviously, Kirkendoll could have been viewed by the jury as having grounds for a grudge against Whelchel. 41 Two people testified that Whelchel actually said he committed a murder. Douglas Crozier testified that Whelchel said he had killed someone, though Margo's name was not mentioned. According to Crozier, Whelchel told him he had killed somebody and that he would do it again if a friend asked [him] . . . . On cross-examination, Crozier admitted to animosity towards Whelchel. David Joy, a former cell mate of both Whelchel and McKee, testified that Whelchel told him that he killed Margo. This testimony was substantially the same as Joy's testimony earlier at McKee's trial. On cross examination, Joy said that he had testified at McKee's trial at McKee's request after meeting McKee while incarcerated. 42
43 The testimony of co-defendant Hughes, though consistent, was not without difficulties for the prosecution, most importantly because Hughes never actually saw Whelchel hit Margo. Hughes testified that just before the attack began, she turned her back to Whelchel. While turned, she heard a crack like when you hit a baseball. When Hughes did turn back around, Margo was on her knees and Steve [Whelchel] was standing behind her. Hughes testified that she then ran away and that later, when she started to return to the scene, Whelchel told her to get the hell out of here. 44 Hughes testified that she heard Margo pleading with Whelchel to stop. On cross-examination, however, it was revealed that in an earlier statement Hughes said that she held her hands over her ears after Margo was first struck and could not hear any words or specific statements. Hughes also testified that Whelchel told her he had clubbed and stabbed Margo. 45 Unlike Hughes, Massey testified that she actually saw Whelchel kill Margo. Massey's testimony was substantially the same as Hughes's, except that Massey testified that she watched Whelchel hit Margo and did not flee the scene. Massey admitted that she hit Margo with a table leg herself. 46 The jury heard testimony which could undermine the credibility of Hughes and Massey. First, Massey had broken up with Whelchel subsequent to the murder but before she agreed to testify and Whelchel, in his role in the after the fact cover-up, allegedly threatened to turn in Massey and the rest of the group. Moreover, Hughes and Massey testified against Whelchel as part of a plea agreement in which they were prosecuted as juveniles in exchange for their testimony, giving them an incentive to minimize their roles in the murder. This incentive is especially strong in Massey's case, as sheadmitted striking Margo but claimed that her blows were inflicted post-mortem. 47