Opinion ID: 1808114
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: Further Contacts With Speer

Text: Speer continued to threaten Rhodes during the fall of 1987. During Christmas 1987, however, Rhodes gave Speer a leather jacket, several magazine subscriptions, a shirt, a movie, a book, cologne, and $50 cash. Speer estimated the value of these gifts to be $600. Rhodes gave the gifts to Carl Speer, who forwarded them to Daniel Speer. Daniel Speer never returned any of Rhodes' gifts. Rhodes also bought Carl Speer a Colt 45 Officers Model that cost $455. Rhodes thought that if he got Daniel Speer a Christmas present, Speer would settle down and quit trying to kill him. On January 7, 1988, Rhodes signed up for Tae Kwon Do classes after finding out that Daniel Speer had enrolled. Rhodes did not want Speer to get the upper hand on me, become physically superior to where he could destroy me hand-to-hand. Carl Speer and Deputy Mayo also took the classes. Rhodes continued the classes even after Daniel Speer dropped out. In April 1988, about 1 week before Daniel Speer's birthday, Speer threatened Rhodes after Tae Kwon Do class. Speer said he was good with a gun, with an M-16, and good with a 45. Speer threatened to shoot Rhodes and stated that when he did, it would be a kidney shot so that Rhodes would really suffer. Rhodes testified that by this time he was not afraid of Speer anymore and decided to buy him a birthday card. On April 14, Rhodes gave Speer a birthday card containing $50. The card depicted a cartoon character holding a can of spray paint and reminded Rhodes of what Speer had done at the drive-in theater. Rhodes said he sent the card as a way of saying, You can't get my goat any more; I'm not afraid of you, you vandal.