Deputy describes murder scene
By Lee Williams
Published in News on September 15, 2006 1:53 PM
At 3:38 a.m. Jan. 1, 2004, Wayne County Sheriff's Deputy Sgt. Steve Mozingo received a call to head to 176 Garrick Lane. There had been a disturbance.
Mozingo arrived and made a chilling discovery.
"There was a male body lying in the hallway and a female body lying in the master bedroom," Mozingo testified.
Mozingo recounted his findings during the Telly Cox double murder trial. Cox, 23, and Chris Brown, 22, are accused of fatally shooting Michael Maynard, 30, and Christie Jones, 25, at Maynard's home.
Mozingo said a trail of footprints greeted him at the door. The footprints were faint toward the door, but got darker as he neared the bodies.
Mozingo, who arrived shortly after another deputy, also discovered a 7-year-old girl had been left in the home. The little girl, who was covered in blood, was found seated on a sofa when deputies arrived.
Emergency medical services technicians arrived a few minutes later to evaluate the bodies. Paramedic Scott Bartik testified about his findings.
"We were told to check behind them and to preserve as much evidence as possible," Bartik said.
Bartik discovered Maynard had a gunshot wound in the head. Miss Jones, who was found between the bed and dresser, also had a gunshot wound.
Tears rolled down the cheek of one family member as Bartik described the condition of the bodies and other evidence found at the scene.
Bartik also noted there was a shotgun shell in the living room.
Maynard and Jones were murdered just minutes after they spent time with friends, according to witnesses' testimony.
Thomas Deaver testified that he and his wife, Donna, went to see Maynard, whom they called Shawn, after a brief outing.
"We went over to Shawn's house about 3:05 a.m. or 3:10 a.m.," Deaver said. "We went inside, sat around and talked for a little bit. We left about 3:30 a.m. to 3:40 a.m."
Deaver said Shawn was intoxicated after ringing in the new year with family and friends. He also seemed sleepy.
"We were talking and he'd kind of dose off and wake back up," Deaver said.
Deaver testified that Jan. 1, 2004, was the first night he met Maynard's girlfriend, who used crutches to walk.
Jones' feet were severely injured in a car crash in Wake County. She often used a wheelchair to get around, too, witnesses said.
Jurors heard from 11 witnesses Thursday including Miss Jones' father, Maynard's father and four of Maynard's neighbors who lived in Casey's Country Court.
Wayne County assistant district attorneys Jan Kroboth and Claud Ferguson led the questioning for the state. Attorneys Mike Howell and Rosemary Godwin led the inquiry for the defense.
Superior Court Judge Russell J. Lanier Jr. canceled court for today. Testimony is expected to resume at 9 a.m. Monday in Courtroom 4 at the Wayne County Courthouse.
Maynard's then 7-year-old daughter, who is now 9 years old, is expected to take the witness stand and tell what she knows about the day her father and his girlfriend were murdered.
The cases for the co-defendants were completed Jan. 19.
Cox's alleged accomplice, Brown, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and is serving a life sentence. His girlfriend, Alonza Sonye Bedell, 22, who drove the getaway car and initially lied to authorities about the case, also had her day in court Jan. 19.
Miss Bedell testified Wednesday she did not know anything about the murders before the fact and she was forced to drive the men around at gunpoint. She also said she initially lied to authorities because the men were at-large at the time and she feared for her and her family's safety. Miss Bedell also worried that she would be arrested for the crimes.
Miss Bedell pleaded guilty to two counts of accessory after a felonious assault. Miss Bedell, who has a criminal past, will be sentenced after the Cox trial is finalized.
According to court testimony, Brown knew Maynard through drug use. The murders were committed because Brown wanted Maynard's shotguns, but Maynard refused to give them to him, officials said.
Cox, a convicted burglar who allegedly helped Brown pull off the murders, faces two counts of first-degree murder and first-degree kidnapping and one count of attempted first-degree rape and armed robbery. He could receive life in prison without parole if convicted.