Opinion ID: 2056377
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Trial Of James Owens

Text: Owens's trial began in February, 1988. In the months leading up to the trial, police and the prosecutor conducted multiple interviews of Thompson, during which his story changed several times. The prosecutor from Owens's trial testified at Thompson's trial that on February 26, 1988: I brought [Thompson] in and I went over his testimony for what may have been the sixth time and I pointed out to him that the business about him finding the knife is where the defense attorney is going to hammer at him and that he's going to look silly and isn't it time that he finally leveled with us and told us the truth about how that knife really got back into his possession. Thompson expressed concern about changing his story and then stated that, rather than finding the knife, Owens brought him the knife the morning after the murder. Later that day, Thompson was called as a State's witness. His testimony was inconsistent with the chronology of events the morning after the murder and appeared so untruthful that the prosecutor was worried about the prognosis of the case[.] Over the following weekend, the prosecutor asked detectives to collect blood and pubic hair samples from Thompson in the hopes of proving that Thompson was not a participant in the crime. Thompson provided the samples voluntarily on February 28, 1988. The prosecutor testified that after receiving the result of the pubic hair testing, Thompson was clearly a suspect and he sent detectives to bring Thompson in for questioning on February 29, 1988. Detective Dunnigan testified that he began the interview by telling Thompson that he was in a lot of trouble and that he could not get in any more trouble he [was] already in. According to Sergeant Landsman, who was also present, they told Thompson he would be charged with something[,] but would not specify what. They also told Thompson that his blood and hair had been found at the scene, though at the time they said this, they did not know whether this was true. Dunnigan later testified that each time they provided him with more details about this evidence, Thompson's story changed. During the interrogation, Thompson provided at least four new versions of the story: (1) that he had broken into Williar's house and stolen jewelry, but only after police had investigated and left the home; (2) that he went into the house after Owens had left, remained on the first floor and looked at the electronics in the house; (3) that he and Owens entered before Williar was killed and that he waited in the living room during the burglary with Owens; and (4) that he had hidden in the upstairs bathroom and seen Owens attacking Williar. After the fourth version of the story, the detectives reminded Thompson that the hair evidence found on the victim's buttocks was pubic hair, at which point Thompson told the detectives that he had been in Williar's bedroom when Owens attacked her, and that he masturbated during the attack, which would account for the pubic hair. Police believed this version of the story was sufficient so the interrogation ended. Thompson was taken directly to the witness stand, and testified that he and Owens broke into Williar's home by breaking a basement window and began rummaging through the drawers in the bedroom on the second floor. Thompson testified that during the course of the burglary, Williar came home and proceeded up the steps to the second floor. At this point, Thompson hid in the bathroom and Owens assaulted Williar when she entered the bedroom. Thompson testified that when Owens began hitting Williar in the face, he came out of the bathroom and encouraged Owens to leave. Owens threw Williar on the bed and beat and raped her while Thompson watched. Thompson testified that he had [his] privates and things out[,] masturbated, and ejaculated. Thompson testified that after Owens raped Williar, he stabbed her in the chest. According to Thompson, Owens threw Williar on the bed and threw the knife on the floor in the hallway. Thompson testified that he picked up the knife and fled with Owens. Thompson was taken into police custody after he left the courtroom. On March 2, 1998, Owens was convicted, inter alia, of felony murder and burglary, but was acquitted of the rape. On April 7, 1988, Owens's counsel represented that Thompson was tricked by the police into making his statement and that he lied under oath. These assertions formed the basis for a new trial motion on behalf of Owens, which was denied.