Opinion ID: 4578624
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Matthew Whiteplume

Text: Mr. Whiteplume testified as follows pursuant to his plea agreement. He said that he was upstairs making a drink when Mr. Oldman started beating Mr. Dodge. When he returned to the basement, he saw a belt around Mr. Dodge’s neck and Mr. Oldman grabbing Mr. Dodge’s hair and punching him. Id. at 595. After Mr. Oldman told him that Mr. Dodge had participated in a group that had jumped Mr. Whiteplume a few weeks before, resulting in his hospitalization, Mr. Whiteplume began punching Mr. Dodge. Id. at 595-96. Mr. Oldman said several times that Mr. Dodge was “going to die tonight.” Id. at 606. Mr. Whiteplume saw that Mr. Oldman had a knife, and he went upstairs to “get help.” Id. at 601. When nobody would help, he went back to the basement. He saw Mr. Oldman hit Mr. Dodge twice with “a weapon.” Id. at 608. Mr. Dodge tried to stand up but could not. Id. at 610. Mr. Whiteplume put Mr. Dodge in the crawlspace and shut the door. Id. at 611. He then went upstairs to rejoin the party. 3 Ms. Brown’s testimony is inconsistent as to whether Mr. Whiteplume and Mr. Oldman were still in the house when she left. During direct examination, she testified they were upstairs when she left. Id. at 534. During cross-examination, she agreed they had left the house while she was in the basement. Id. at 556. 5 Later that night, Mr. Whiteplume and Mr. Oldman returned to the basement. They saw Mr. Dodge trying to get out of the crawlspace. Mr. Oldman grabbed Mr. Dodge by the hair. Mr. Whiteplume refused Mr. Oldman’s order to kill Mr. Dodge. Mr. Oldman told Mr. Whiteplume to look away or go upstairs. Mr. Whiteplume walked to the stairs but turned back and saw Mr. Oldman “make four or five tugging motions” at Mr. Dodge’s throat. Id. Mr. Dodge “died right there.” Id. at 614. Later, Mr. Whiteplume, Mr. Tabaho, and Ms. Lamebull wrapped the body and returned it to the crawlspace.