Opinion ID: 2517841
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Events in Missouri after the Murder

Text: Lyon, defendant's girlfriend, heard from him two days after his last call from California. He said he was in Missouri. He also told Lyon that, if the police contacted her, she should not disclose his location or real name. At 8:00 a.m. on December 19, 1989, two days after the murder, defendant was seen in Springfield, Missouri with Nguyen's white Toyota MR2a stipulated fact. Defendant was parked outside his friend Johnny Forrester's house, cleaning the interior of the car. Defendant spent time with Forrester and with his mother, Mary, and his uncle, Larry, who lived nearby. While driving Forrester in the Toyota, defendant said it belonged to his girlfriend. He had the keys to the car. Defendant gave Forrester a baby's teething ring from the console that had belonged to Nguyen and her child. Over the next few days, defendant made statements suggesting he had good reasons for moving East. On December 20, 1989, he told Forrester at a bar that he would not go back to California or to jail. Defendant patted a handgun in his waistband and showed it to Forrester. On December 23, after an encounter with Missouri police described below, defendant and Forrester drove to the home of a friend, Frank Moots. Defendant said he was not going back and would shoot a cop first. He asked Moots to help paint the Toyota MR2 black. Defendant removed the California license plates and stored the car in Moots's garage. Defendant used Nguyen's credit card at Sears in Springfield. Multiple charges were made on December 23, 1989, and appeared on a bill later sent to Nguyen's home. Defendant was asked for identification when he tried charging items in the electronics department. He then left the store. The jury saw a videotape of this transaction. Defendant attracted police attention three times in Missouri. On December 20, 1989, the day after he arrived in Springfield, defendant triggered a police chase, and eluded capture, after he refused to make a traffic stop while driving a white Toyota. On December 23, 1989, another officer stopped defendant, his friend Forrester, and a female companion in a Camaro following a suspicious check-cashing incident outside of Springfield. After giving a false name and exiting the car, defendant fled and eluded the officer who had made the stop, as well as others who arrived at the scene. Defendant's most serious confrontation with Missouri police occurred on December 28, 1989, and prompted his arrest. Officer Larry Robinson recognized defendant on the street as a suspect at large. Defendant ran when he saw Robinson. While repeatedly yelling halt, Robinson chased defendant over a wall and fence, and into a parking lot and an alley. Robinson lost sight of defendant, reported the chase on his radio, and approached a dumpster alcove. Suddenly, defendant rose from behind the dumpster and shot Robinson, wounding him. After defendant fired more rounds and ran down the street, other officers arrived and captured him. They seized his firearm. It was the same weapon that killed Nguyen, as discussed below.