Opinion ID: 453243
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Kumpe's Testimony.

Text: 31 Russell Kumpe, who did not testify at any of the prior proceedings in this case, 8 appeared at the evidentiary hearing as a witness for both the petitioner and the State. Kumpe, while blaming Walker for Vaughan's death, offered a version of events inconsistent with the State's theory at the second trial that Walker fired first and Vaughan, although fatally wounded, returned the fire. Kumpe repeatedly asserted that Vaughan, not Walker, fired first. According to Kumpe, Officer Barentine ordered him to get out of the Oldsmobile, and then told him to spread eagle the police car, which was parked directly behind Kumpe's vehicle. [T. 105.] Kumpe leaned over the left front fender with both arms spread out and his stomach pressed up against the police car. [T. 20.] From that position, he looked down toward the Oldsmobile. [T. 106.] 32 And while I was looking down Walker cracked the door and when he did the dome light came on and I could see that he had a pistol in his hand. And about this same time Vaughan came up and he parked directly behind Barentine but slightly to the right so the two police cars were behind one another. 33 [T. 106.] Barentine was searching Kumpe as Vaughan approached the Oldsmobile. Kumpe warned Vaughan that Walker had a gun, and Vaughan responded that he had a gun and he'd get the S.O.B. And as he approached the car, the door--the door came open and Vaughan shot Jim and Jim returned the fire and shot and killed Vaughan. [T. 107.] Vaughan fired first; the first two flashes came from his gun, and the next flash came [f]rom the car from where Walker was. [T. 107.] Kumpe did not actually see Walker's hand when he fired the shot; he saw only the flash of the gun. [T. 55.] Kumpe swung off the police car and took off. Barentine, who by that time had unholstered his gun, shot Kumpe twice. Kumpe ran around the police car, then looked back and saw Barentine standing near the front of the police car firing down toward Walker and the Oldsmobile. [T. 108.] 34 Kumpe's testimony that Vaughan fired first, if believed, undermines not only the State's theory about Vaughan's death, but the credibility of Linda Ford's testimony that Walker initiated the shooting, and that testimony was crucial to the conviction of Walker. 9 35 After the shooting, police found three weapons at the scene: a fully-loaded Colt .38 revolver found under the front seat of the Oldsmobile; a fully-loaded .38 caliber Smith & Wesson with a two-inch barrel found in Walker's right hand, 10 and the weapon which caused Vaughan's death, a .38 caliber Smith & Wesson with a four-inch barrel, variously described as having been found underneath Walker's body [H. I, 272], near the rear end of the Oldsmobile [H. I, 145], under the right rear wheel of the Oldsmobile [H. I, 366], and underneath the passenger's side of the car. 11 [T. 595.] Kumpe has now admitted ownership of the murder weapon. [T. 21-22.] He also admitted that he had that weapon and the Colt .38 in his possession on the night in question. [T. 21-24, 112.] Kumpe claimed that he left both weapons in the Oldsmobile. 12 [T. 22.] Yet, several witnesses testified at the hearing that Kumpe told them he was armed when he got out of the car. 13 [T. 174-75, 207, 240, 278.] Although Kumpe denied making any such statements, a jury could reasonably infer from the testimony of these witnesses and other new evidence adduced at the hearing that the gun that killed Vaughan was in Kumpe's--not Walker's--possession at the time of the shooting. 36