Opinion ID: 1434436
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State's Trial Evidence

Text: We begin our analysis by evaluating the strength of the evidence actually presented by the prosecution. Id. At Armstrong's trial, nineteen people testified for the state. These nineteen witnesses essentially comprise four different groups: (1) staff from C.J.'s nightclub, (2) relatives of the Davises, (3) friends and relatives of the McGees, and (4) police and other investigators or medical personnel.
Jones, the owner of C.J.'s nightclub, testified that on the night of January 6, 1996, he witnessed Diane and Terrell pushing and arguing with each other inside his bar. Jones stated the situation began to escalate as other people became involved in the argument, so Jones took a handgun from his pocket and ordered those involved to leave the bar. Jones did not see anyone else with a gun, but stated Armstrong looked like he might have a gun, based upon the way Armstrong put his hand in his right pocket and backed sideways outside the door. Charles Doby (Doby) was working as the doorman at C.J's nightclub on January 6, 1996. Doby testified Armstrong went to the back of the club and got a gun from someone. When Armstrong was standing beside Doby, Armstrong pulled the gun out of his pocket and raised it up, not aiming at anyone, and Armstrong made some gang references. Doby told Armstrong to get out of the bar, Armstrong left the bar, and sometime thereafter, Doby heard shots fired outside. Doby did not see anyone else with a gun that night.
Six Davis siblings testified at Armstrong's trial. Levonne Davis (Levonne) testified she met Armstrong before the date of the shooting when she went to visit her cousins, Antwon and Tyreese, in Milwaukee. The other Davis siblings did not say whether they knew Armstrong before the date of the shooting, [5] but they all visited with Armstrong on January 6, 1996, when he stayed at Channelle's house. That evening a group of people, including the Davises, the Hamiltons, the Armstrongs, and Terrell, gathered at Channelle's house. J. Davis (J.), who was sixteen, testified he saw Armstrong with a gun on the table at Channelle's house. J. also saw the gun in Armstrong's hand. Later, the group decided to go to C.J.'s nightclub. Two trips were made to the bar that night. The first trip consisted only of the Armstrongs, the Hamiltons, and Brown. Armstrong testified that after about one hour at the bar, his brothers could not drive because they had been drinking heavily so Armstrong returned to Channelle's house and picked up the others. Although there is some confusion about who was in the vehicle during the second trip to the nightclub, most parties said Armstrong returned to Channelle's residence and drove Channelle, Devonne, Diane, Terrell, and another young woman named Diane Vaughn, back to C.J.'s nightclub. Channelle testified she was in the front passenger seat of Armstrong's vehicle when she saw a gun in the car Armstrong was driving. Channelle stated the radio had been removed from the vehicle, and a gun, which was covered with wires, had been placed in the radio compartment. Inside the nightclub, J., Diane, Devonne, and Channelle, each testified Diane and Terrell became involved in an argument which began to escalate as more people got involved. Some of the Hamiltons and the Armstrongs intervened in the dispute on Diane's behalf, while some of the McGees intervened on Terrell's behalf. At that point, Jones, the bar owner, displayed a handgun and ordered the group out of the bar. Devonne testified she saw Armstrong with a gun while inside the bar. Channelle testified Armstrong was yelling, G.D., which stands for Gangster Disciple. Diane also heard Armstrong yelling G.D., but Diane did not know what it meant. After Jones ordered everyone to leave the nightclub, Levonne, J., Devonne, Channelle, and Diane each testified they went outside and stood in the parking lot. Each testified the argument continued outside the nightclub and they saw Armstrong with a gun. Devonne, Channelle, and Diane testified they did not see anyone else in the parking lot with a gun. Levonne witnessed Armstrong shooting down toward the ground at Carlos, who had fallen. Devonne stated she saw Armstrong shoot at Carlos, saw Carlos fall to the ground, and observed Armstrong begin shooting down toward the ground. Channelle witnessed Armstrong shoot at Carlos as Carlos tried to run away, Channelle then saw Carlos get shot and fall to the ground. Diane also testified Armstrong began shooting at Carlos and Carlos fell to the ground. J. said he saw Armstrong shooting, but J. ducked and did not see who Armstrong was shooting toward. Devonne related that as Armstrong was firing at Carlos, Armstrong also shot Devonne and Yolanda. Immediately after the shooting, Armstrong, Solomon, Antwon, Tyreese, and Brown ran to Solomon's car in an attempt to flee. Both Devonne and Levonne testified Devonne, wounded, followed the men to Solomon's car and got in the car. When the men realized the car was stuck in mud, the men left the car and ran to Channelle's residence, leaving Devonne behind. Armstrong, Solomon, Antwon, and Tyreese were arrested soon after the shooting and, with the exception of Armstrong, they were released the following day. After their release, the men returned to Milwaukee. Devonne and J. also traveled to Milwaukee after the shooting and J. testified he stayed for about one year.
Several friends and relatives of the McGees were at C.J.'s on the night of January 6, 1996, including Terrell and Carlos, their mother Rosie McGee (Rosie), Rosie's live-in boyfriend, Steve Winters (Steve), and Steve's cousin, Michael Winters (Michael). Also present were Terrell's and Carlos's first cousins, Yolanda and Felicia Moore (Felicia). Terrell, Rosie, Michael, Yolanda, and Felicia each testified at Armstrong's trial. Terrell met Armstrong earlier that day at Channelle's house. Terrell testified he saw Armstrong with a gun at Channelle's house and Armstrong stated he had the gun so when he go to the club, nobody trip with him. Terrell also reported that on the way to the bar, Terrell noticed the radio was missing from the car Armstrong was driving, and there was a gun in the radio compartment. Later that evening, after Terrell and Diane began to argue at the bar, Yolanda, Michael, Felicia, and Terrell each described Armstrong becoming involved in the argument, pulling a handgun, and hollering G.D. Rosie denied seeing Armstrong with a gun inside the bar, but someone told her Armstrong had a gun. Jones drew his gun and told the group to leave the bar. The argument resumed in the parking lot, and Terrell, Rosie, Michael, Yolanda, and Felicia affirmed they saw Armstrong take out a gun and begin to fire, resulting in Carlos's death and wounding Devonne and Yolanda. After the shooting, Armstrong and his group fled.
Officer Durrell Hayes (Officer Hayes) and Deputy Sheriff Billy Woodall (Deputy Woodall) went to 108 North Martin Luther King Drive to arrest Armstrong, Solomon, Antwon, and Tyreese, for their suspected involvement in the shootings. Officer Hayes and Deputy Woodall testified that during the arrest, shots were fired from outside the house, hitting Officer Hayes in the chest. Emerson Branch, a relative of the McGees, was later tried and convicted of shooting Officer Hayes. Deputy Sheriff Len Welsh (Deputy Welsh) was also involved in the shooting investigation and reported on the evidence collected during the investigation. Deputy Welsh described how a .32 caliber bullet was removed from Officer Hayes, and a .32 caliber bullet was found on Carlos's gurney. Andy Wagoner (Wagoner) is a firearms and tool marks examiner at the Southeast Missouri Regional Crime Laboratory. In addition to the .32 caliber bullet found on Carlos's gurney, Wagoner testified another.32 caliber bullet was removed from Carlos during an autopsy. Wagoner testified the bullet on Carlos's gurney and the bullet removed from Carlos's body were fired from the same gun. Wagoner concluded the bullet removed from Officer Hayes was fired from a different gun than the bullets identified with Carlos because Carlos's two bullets had class characteristics that [were] six lands and grooves inclined to the left, and the bullet taken from Officer Hayes had class characteristics that [were] five lands and grooves inclined to the right. No gun was ever recovered and the gunshot residue tests performed on Armstrong, Solomon, Antwon, and Tyreese, proved inconclusive.