Horse Farm Owner GRILLED on ‘Self-Defense’ Shooting Claim

[00:00:00] Michelle: so your story as you sit here today it was self-defense correct yes sir okay never told anybody else that right yes i did you told that to ken yes sir okay but when he came in here and said it wasn't self-defense he was lying is that what you're saying he lied about a few things okay and i assume when you went to see sean you probably told him it was self-defense too right no sir well i don't understand why you're there for five hours you were really upset you were talking about chad being dead and you didn't think it was important to tell him that it was self-defense that [00:00:41] Speaker 2: you killed him i was talking all kind of crazy stuff there's a lot of things i said and didn't say that make and do not make sense well why didn't you tell him the truth what i did say was the truth [00:00:53] Michelle: you did say the truth the truth that you punished chad for doing something to astara yes that's the truth yes sir so when he testified to that he's lying is that what you're saying i didn't you were in you were in court you listened to the whole thing is he making that up he's making up that part yes sir well what about angela russo she was there too right yes sir and you you were friendly with her you went to her house they let you sleep over correct in the state of my panic [00:01:25] Speaker 2: they let me i'd never been to their house to stay the night before so the question is yes they let [00:01:31] Michelle: you stay at the house right yes sir okay just listen to the questions okay she's just extrapolating when you went there you had an opportunity to tell angela that you had to kill chad in self-defense but you didn't did you correct right you you didn't tell anyone right there when you were so upset for five hours talking about what was going on that chad was like a demon or you i think you even said to them you killed his body but not his soul right or is that another lie that they just making up no sir you did say that right yes sir so when you just admitted that you killed his body not his soul basically murdering someone you didn't think it was important to say it was self-defense i wasn't thinking very clearly correct okay let's talk about you i'm a little on i don't understand your story so you contact chad and go pick him up at 8 30 is that right yes sir okay what time do you [00:02:36] Speaker 2: get back to stormy stables however long it takes to drive from barton to san mateo about 9 15 9 10 right no sir it shouldn't take 45 minutes to travel that far okay well let's say you arrive back at [00:02:56] Michelle: 905 does that sound about right yes sir and you're saying that chad you pull up to the barn right you pull the truck up to the barn correct yes sir okay and chad fixes the headlight yes sir how long does that take him 15 minutes okay and let's let's talk about the the gun your attorney asked you a question and you kind of like sidestepped it you said you got a gun because you were so fearful of chad right that's why you got a gun right because he kicked in your door he came to your house you needed a gun right not for him specifically well okay so the you don't want a gun to protect you from the person who you're fearful of yes sir so you did get the gun because you were fearful of chad right if you want to put it that way well it's not how i want to put it i'm asking you ma'am yes sir and then even if you're so fearful of chad between september 2nd to september 9th you called him 28 times and you reached out to him would you agree with me yes sir okay so you're so afraid of chad you reached out to him multiple times over that eight day window and then you're you're afraid of chad and you go and pick him up and bring him to a deserted farm in the middle of the night nine o'clock it's not light out just the two of you that's what you're telling this jury yes sir and you're telling this jury that um you just miraculously after you fixed the headlight you thought hey it's a great idea let me confront chad about molesting a star right here no one else is around it's the dark there's nothing going on i think i'm going to ask him about that don't you're telling this jury yes sir do [00:04:57] Speaker 2: and you think that was a good idea it obviously was not a good idea let's talk about you claim that [00:05:07] Michelle: you got a phone call so michelle you claim you call michelle roberts and you were upset because your horse was choking yes sir and that's why you called her at 9 15 at night no sir i had called her at noon that day okay but the phone call she received from you that she testified to was a phone call that was received at 9 35 in 21 seconds [00:06:32] Speaker 2: right a separate phone call yes sir well why'd you call her at that time because i was looking for tina's [00:06:37] Michelle: house hmm okay was this after you killed chad yes sir how much longer after you killed chad did you call her [00:06:49] Speaker 2: when i was in the truck trying to find tina's house [00:06:55] Michelle: so your testimony is you were what truck you took the truck that was just fixed by chad [00:07:00] Speaker 2: yes sir it's the only truck i have well you had your car right but the keys were in the truck and [00:07:05] Michelle: it was right there okay and your testimony is that chad's phone was in the truck right yes sir so the phone went with you to tina's tina's house right yes sir and when you went to tina's house only did you stay there for i don't know you don't know you don't remember no sir you're absolutely certain you took chad's phone with you to tina's house that's where i found it was in my truck right at her house right when you went over there initially right yes when you left there his phone was in your truck why was his phone in your truck if he wasn't in your foot in the truck when you shot him because he had sat down in the driver's seat and [00:08:00] Speaker 2: turned the keys in the ignition and he just laid his phone down in there on the dashboard yes sir [00:08:11] Michelle: and it's your testimony that tina's the one who decided what we should do in this case to get rid of chad right yes sir right you had no self-control or self will to make your own decision right at that moment i was pretty vulnerable right but you're a grown woman right yes sir you had a child yes sir ran your own business yes sir and you didn't think it was a good idea to call the police that's why i suggested to her that i should well why didn't you do it before you went to her house i was just getting away from him why didn't you call the police when you got in your truck [00:08:48] Speaker 2: like i said i was just trying to get somewhere safe that that's not what you said you said you [00:08:51] Michelle: were trying to go get your daughter but if you were afraid of him and you're in your truck driving away from that location and you thought he may have walked off because he didn't have a vehicle right my car was there but you said your keys were in the truck for your car correct no sir i said the truck keys were in the truck so your keys are in your car you just left them there right i always leave my keys in my car okay so did you see him behind you no sir okay so when you don't see him behind you and when you have the opportunity to call the police you don't call the police correct right and that wasn't tina making that decision that was caitlin dollar right yes sir and you you made that decision without any concern or worry about chad didn't you no sir no no sir i don't understand what that answer is were you concerned about chad yes sir so why didn't you call the police and ask for an ambulance if you possibly hit him with with the shooting why would you not do that if you're concerned for him [00:09:54] Speaker 2: because i was more concerned about getting in trouble i guess but you said you weren't concerned [00:10:00] Michelle: about getting in trouble until after you saw tina and this is before you saw tina that you've made your [00:10:05] Speaker 2: own conscious decision not to call the police sir you can split hairs but in that moment i don't [00:10:10] Michelle: know what i was thinking i'm not splitting hairs i'm asking you this is the first time we've ever heard your story right the day you sat through an entire trial sitting at this table listening to everybody's else testimony and you've had an opportunity to formulate your story around it right yes sir you weren't sitting there listening to everybody testify i have been yes you never called the police to report this you never told sean you never told angela you never told anybody else yes i did oh oh you told [00:10:41] Speaker 2: ken right but he there's other people that i've told that haven't come forward oh okay really who i'm not going to give you their names why because they're not part of this but you told them yes sir [00:10:54] Michelle: but are they going to get in trouble for keeping a secret for you [00:10:58] Speaker 2: failure to report a death to law enforcement or medical examiner maybe okay what's their names [00:11:05] Michelle: you don't want to tell us jamie brooks wendy steel okay and none of them came forward when did you tell [00:11:12] Speaker 2: all of them after it happened when in september 2024 how soon after the murder i don't recall you don't [00:11:21] Michelle: recall yes sir so you told other people but the people who let you stay at their house and stay there for five hours and talked about what actually happened you didn't tell them that no sir but you as you testify here today you said you told kent that it was self-defense yes sir what'd you tell [00:11:41] Speaker 2: him that it was self-defense that chad had attacked me it was self-defense and chad had attacked you and he just forgot that no sir there's a lot of things that ken tells differently or makes up [00:11:58] Michelle: well you you lied multiple times to people didn't you i may have told him bits and pieces of the truth [00:12:05] Speaker 2: that's called a lot right if that's the case and kids lying okay well i'm asking you so when you talk [00:12:13] Michelle: to chad's family they asked where's chad and you said i don't know that's a lie yes sir when other people contacted you and said do you know where chad is and you say i don't know that's a lie yes sir so you lied multiple times over and over again about what happened to chad yes sir okay and now you want this jury as they sit here today to believe you after you're sitting here telling a story for the first time is that what you're telling us yes sir let's walk through so you go to tina's house in your truck with chad's phone you stay there for a little while what happens right after that you go back to the barn right to show tina that's what you said i took tina back to the barn and i showed her where chad was or i just asked her to come look at it right yes sir okay and then you get back to the barn you guys decide to drag how did you get chad into the water my four-wheeler your four-wheeler okay and then where did you get the cinder block from the barn and then all the other stuff you accumulated from the barn right yes sir red hook from your barn yes sir did you break that off the ceiling so you could tag so you can drive them there remember because it was on your ceiling in your in your barn there's multiple hooks so you use multiple hooks to drag them no sir i just had multiple ones around the barn so you drag them with the four wheels through the water and how do you actually get them in the water pull them into the water yourself you just pulled them in yourself yes sir you're you're a little bit bigger now than you were then you were skinnier right yes sir yeah how much did you weigh back then 153 pounds okay and you pulled chad how much did he weigh about 200 pounds yes sir so you pulled him into the water with a cinder block yes sir tina didn't help you she may have assisted so you go back you do that and then you decide to go take a shower and clean up right yes sir go back to her house yes sir and you're still driving your truck correct yes sir and then you get to tina's house yes sir and then she has to do an errand you say right is that a guess yep whose whose vehicle goes driving at that time on the air tina's tina's vehicle okay and chad's phone is still in your car correct yes sir why not because i saw it and got it so you saw chad's phone in your car and then you took it out to drive with you around town yes sir why were you expecting an important call from someone for him yes sir did you think maybe he had a better internet package than you did no sir so why would you drive around with his phone i don't know why and then you guys leave tina's house somewhere around [00:15:30] Speaker 2: 3 a.m and start heading to st augustine right if that's what the record reflects would you like me to [00:15:39] Michelle: show you the record does that help you refresh your memory i wouldn't remember because i don't know okay so if the records reflect you all leave around 3 a.m your testimony to this jury is that tina worked a job and at 3 a.m in the dead of night in the middle of nowhere she went to a farm to go get paid [00:15:59] Speaker 2: yes sir she had the combination to the safe and went in the safe and got her money wait she had the she had the combination to a safe at the farm she said she had to go in a safe and get money [00:16:14] Michelle: so tina just the person who is like maybe she didn't have the combination i misspoke [00:16:21] Speaker 2: well you just said that's what she told you she said she had to go in a safe and get money [00:16:27] Michelle: so mr burns who testified here who said he really wasn't giving her but fifty dollars or or less at that time she miraculously is going to let her go into the safe and take out money i'm just telling you what she said you didn't think that was odd that you were in the middle of nowhere at 3 a.m in the morning to collect the paycheck yes sir you didn't say anything like what the heck's going on here isn't it true you guys went out there because you were scouting where you're going to move chad's body too no sir no okay and then you went from there to st augustine right yes sir and then came back yes sir that night when chad before you picked him up though um you had a conversation with your daughter earlier in the day where you were trying to ask her about chad molesting you or touching her uh molesting her or touching her correct yes sir right and you in fact videotaped that right yes sir right and you were mad that he had done that to your daughter or thought he had done that to the daughter i don't know if i'd say mad you weren't mad that someone was allegedly molesting your four and five year old child i was hurt and confused hurt and confused so the person who's molesting your child allegedly which was what you believe because you called ken that day and you told him too you told ken on the ninth i think chad is molesting ostara do you remember that yes sir right in fact and then you texted him back like around 3 34 o'clock i got it under control don't worry remember texting him back that yes sir okay so you your daughter is being molested by a grown man who you think is a good idea that you're going to go bring that person back with you alone there does that make any sense you know what i'm saying it absolutely makes no sense that you would go the person who's molesting your five-year-old daughter you got to be pissed off any adult or parent would be pissed off if their kids [00:18:42] Speaker 2: being molested by an adult male right there was no proof that he was doing that you asked her you [00:18:47] Michelle: were trying to ask her over again and you told ken that you think that's what he's doing right so now you're saying there was no evidence of it right right but your daughter had discharged from her vagina and you thought that was directly related to him molesting her correct no sir no you never told that to angela russo is that what you're testifying here today not about chad molesting her no sir did you tell her that your daughter had green stuff coming from her vagina [00:19:22] Speaker 2: in the past from having pinworms she did so [00:19:29] Michelle: you believe chad molested your daughter you think he might have and you're telling this jury that you didn't lower him back to your house because you were pissed off and shoot him no sir no and miraculously while he's choking you um there's that gun that's right there you can reach correct yes sir it's like a miracle right i wouldn't say so okay well what why didn't you call the police as soon as you thought someone was molesting your child i i don't call the police for every little [00:20:03] Speaker 2: thing and i'd called them about other things and they never helped me so you've never you would [00:20:08] Michelle: never call the police on someone molesting your child yes sir you would or wouldn't i would but i wanted to ask the person first so you think it's a good idea to confront someone in the middle of the [00:20:18] Speaker 2: dark if they're molesting your child i stated it was probably not a good idea [00:20:33] Michelle: how well lit was it back there i'm not sure how to answer that question it was it was well lit enough for chad to change a headline right yes sir so you could see what was going on in front of you correct correct you could see chad had a hammer according to you correct yes sir okay you could see him coming at you right what was the distance between you guys i don't recall you don't recall no sir i mean this must [00:21:06] Speaker 2: have been a traumatic event right right so i get tunnel vision and traumatic events okay so where the [00:21:12] Michelle: car was parked to where the railing is what's the distance [00:21:17] Speaker 2: from me to that rail maybe a little further i don't know so between these two right here or that further than that because the truck door was open it was beyond the door of the truck okay [00:21:31] Michelle: and when you shot chad he didn't like yell like ow oh my god i've been shot like i said i had tunnel [00:21:40] Speaker 2: vision i don't know what all the little details of the instance sure [00:21:49] Michelle: and chad who had molested your daughter you contacted him at six o'clock to come to talk to him on the ninth you contacted him at 713 you contacted him at 724 you contacted him at 758 you contacted him other times and then at 833 when you get to his house you contact him again right yes sir the person who you had just found out was molesting your daughter you thought it was you drove over to his house at 833 to pick him up to be alone in the car correct yes sir and you never told chad that when you shot i mean you never told ken when you shot chad that the gun jammed and then he gave you this stare for like a minute while you unjammed it and it's something that'll be burned in your brain forever no sir so he just made that up yes sir did you tell him you're not going to believe the role stormy played in this no sir [00:23:28] Speaker ?: did you guys take a starter with you when you were driving late that night [00:23:45] Michelle: no sir who'd you leave her with people at tina's house just at tina's house yes sir was there anyone [00:24:07] Speaker 2: there yes sir [00:24:18] Speaker ?: so so so so [00:24:20] Michelle: and you as you sit here today you you you you never told angela and sean russo that i never asked him the question did i have the right to punish someone who's molesting my daughter that's what you're saying you never said that to them correct let's have a moment judge i have no other questions