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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Testimony in the trial of a former Maine resident accused of shooting to death a couple from his home state got under way this week.
Robby Alan Beasley, 32, is on trial for the murders of Frank and Yvette Maddox.
He’s charged with two counts of murder, and special allegations of committing multiple murders in the first or second degree, committing the offenses with the intent to inflict great bodily injury on the victims and using a 9 millimeter firearm.
Beasley is accused of shooting the Maddoxes to death alongside Morgan Valley Road in January 2010.
He had hired them to work in his marijuana trafficking business, and allegedly believed they had stolen marijuana from him.
Opening arguments and testimony in Beasley’s trial, which is taking place in Judge Andrew Blum’s courtroom, began on Wednesday. The trial is expected to continue into next month.
So far testimony has come from the man who found the bodies as well as Beasley’s alleged accomplice, Elijah Bae McKay, 30, who also is facing murder charges but whose trial has not yet been scheduled.
McKay, also from Maine, originally had invited Beasley to move to Clearlake to grow and sell marijuana. He testified in Beasley’s 2011 preliminary hearing.
McKay’s testimony Wednesday led to a mistrial motion by Beasley’s defense attorney, Stephen Carter, but Blum is waiting for more information before making a ruling.
Prosecutor Art Grothe presented witnesses on Thursday including Christopher Hernandez. He spoke about cell phone evidence in the case, including texts allegedly sent by Beasley to Yvette Maddox in the hours before the murders.
Forensic anthropologist discusses skull
Key testimony came on Thursday from Alison Galloway, a forensic anthropologist, author and professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
She said she examines skeletal remains of individuals, considers their biological profiles and looks for evidence of trauma and the interval since the time of death.
In the spring of 2010 the Lake County Sheriff’s Office asked Galloway to examine Yvette Maddox’s cranium and mandible. Three sheriff’s staffers took the skull to Galloway.
Galloway was asked to analyze the skull for trauma. When she got the skull, it was already “relatively skeletonized” and in dozens of pieces. She cleaned it, put the skull back together and then looked for the primary focus of the impacts that caused the skull’s fracturing.
Grothe showed exhibits of the cranium and mandible on a projector, and Galloway explained the various views of the remains and the injuries the photos showed.
She pointed out that on the left side of the skull there was evidence of at least two entry points. When something hits a skull from the outside, it causes a larger fracture on the inside, Galloway explained. “That’s how we know what something is an entrance wound.”
Galloway said she hadn’t been able to completely reconstruct the left side of the skull because of the extent of fracturing from the bullet wounds.
During cross-examination, Carter asked if it was possible that there hadn’t been a second bullet wound but that the skull had been damaged some other way. Galloway said the fractures were through very dense bone and not likely to have resulted from evidence mishandling.
She said she was fully confident that one of the injuries, closer to the temple, was consistent with a gunshot. The second wound also was consistent with a high energy impact that would have occurred from a gunshot injury.
Testimony will continue at 9 a.m. Friday, when McKay will return to the stand.
Elona Porter, an evidence technician with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, also is scheduled to testify on Friday.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The drastic change of weather that rolled into Lake County on Thursday – bringing with it much colder temperatures, rain and mixed snow – will remain in place Friday.
Forecasters state that today’s high temperatures will top-out in the upper-40s again and the chance for rain mixed with snow stays in the forecast.
Overnight lows will once again dip down near freezing as showers taper off.
Skies will be mostly clear for the weekend, but temperatures will remain unseasonably cool with daytime highs near 50 and overnight lows in the low- to mid- 30s both Saturday and Sunday.
Rain returns to the forecast on Monday night and continues through Wednesday.
Email Terre Logsdon at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LUCERNE, Calif. – A 52-year-old Hopland man was injured early Thursday morning when his semi truck overturned on Highway 20.
Bobby Fackrell was injured in the wreck, which occurred at 4:25 a.m. on Highway 20 east of Rosemont Avenue in Lucerne, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Fackrell was driving a 2000 Freightliner truck tractor towing a flat bed trailer loaded with drilling equipment at an unsafe speed, attempting to negotiate a moderate right curve in the roadway, the CHP said.
Due to Fackrell's unsafe speed, the Freightliner overturned onto its left side and struck two vehicles that were legally parked on the north side of Highway 20, according to the CHP.
The truck came to rest on its left side, partially blocking the westbound lane of Highway 20, the CHP said.
Fackrell received moderate injuries. The CHP said he was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital for treatment.
The CHP said alcohol or drugs do not appear to be a factor in this collision.
The roadway was closed for approximately 30 minutes until one way traffic control was established, the CHP said.
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Three people were hurt early Thursday morning when the vehicle they were riding in went off Highway 20 and down an embankment, with the driver later being arrested.
Ukiah residents Leona Maria Delapena, 29; Jason Steele, 21; and a 17-year-old female, whose name was not released, were injured in the single-vehicle wreck, which occurred at 1:40 a.m. Thursday on Highway 20 west of Witter Springs Road, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Delapena was driving eastbound in her 2008 Honda Accord when, for reasons still under investigation, she went off the south shoulder of the highway and hit a tree, the CHP reported.
The CHP report said Delapena and Steele both suffered moderate injuries while the teen had major injuries.
Alcohol appears to have been a factor in the crash, the agency said. Delapena was placed under arrest.
The teenage girl was flown by CalStar to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, Delapena was transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital and Steele went to Ukiah Valley Medical Center for treatment, the CHP said.
All three were wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash, according to the CHP.
The CHP said the crash remains under investigation.