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Kevin Johnson Murder Trial
Prosecutor tells jury
Sgt. William McEntee was shot six times
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| |  | | | |  | | Sgt. Bill McEntee (click for larger version) | March 30, 2007 "Has anyone threatened you about coming here and testifying?" was the phrase heard repeatedly from St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Robert McCullough, as the trial of accused murderer Kevin Johnson got underway in Clayton on Wednesday morning.
Johnson is on trial for the July 5, 2005 murder of Kirkwood Police Sgt. William "Bill" McEntee. McEntee had been responding to a call of fireworks being discharged illegally in Meacham Park when he was fatally shot.
Initial reports indicated that Johnson was upset over the death of his younger brother, Joseph "Bam Bam" Long, and that he blamed the police for failing to help save his life.
In October 2005, Johnson was charged with first-degree murder and five other felony counts related to the murder. On Jan. 7 of this year, the prosecuting attorney's office added two counts of conspiracy to commit murder in the first degree, alleging that Johnson "solicited an individual to murder two witnesses" who might testify in his murder trial.
Family and friends of both the victim and the accused sat quietly in the packed courtroom as Judge Melvyn Weisman got the trial underway. The defense made no opening remarks.
McCullough's lengthy opening statement to jurors laid out the prosecution's case: that Johnson allegedly shot McEntee a total of six times; that DNA extracted from samples of blood found in Johnson's car and on his belt matched that of McEntee; and that a half-empty box of 9mm Winchester Luger bullets found in Johnson's car matched the type that killed McEntee. No gun was recovered.
McCullough said that after McEntee was shot, he drove his car forward until it crashed into a parked car, where he exited his vehicle and collapsed on the ground. It was then, McCullough alleged, that Johnson once again fired on McEntee in front of a crowd of onlookers.
McCullough told jurors that potential witnesses had been confronted by Johnson's relatives and two other friends in October 2006 when they arrived in Clayton to give depositions in the case, in an attempt to intimidate them. He also said that Johnson had tried to make arrangements for a fellow inmate to murder two witnesses upon his release.
Defense attorneys described Johnson as someone who was close to his younger brother Bam Bam, and often bought him things and played with him.
Three witnesses who testified on Wednesday were with McEntee when he was shot, near the corner of Alsobrook and Orleans in Meacham Park. They are all young men, and were minors at the time of the murder.
According to testimony, McEntee stopped his patrol car to ask the three if they had been shooting off fireworks. As they spoke to the officer, someone approached the passenger side of the car and shouted "You killed my brother!" before firing at McEntee.
One of the bullets went through the car and lodged in the thigh of one of the witnesses. The others struck McEntee.
McCullough read from statements given to police the night of the murder by two of the witnesses. In answer to his questions about whether they remembered the events recorded in those statements, they repeatedly said, "I don't recall."
When pressed about whether or not they had been intimidated into suppressing their testimony, both said no.
The defense noted that the recorded statements taken the night of the murder had not been made under oath. They asked witnesses who knew Johnson if they had ever had any problems with him, or if he had acted crazy the day of the shooting prior to his brother's death. They said no.
One of the young males who had been talking with McEntee testified that all he saw was "a lot of blood." The witness, who was approximately 11 or 12 years old at the time, said he saw only a hand with a gun and couldn't identify the shooter. He did admit to seeing Johnson with a gun immediately after the shooting.
Another witness reported seeing someone get out of the passenger seat of McEntee's patrol car after the initial shots were heard. He later identified the man as Johnson.
Johnson's trial is expected to run at least two weeks, with jurors sequestered for its entirety. The Times will continue to follow the trial; visit www.timesnewspapers.com for periodic updates.
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