Pastor accused of staging crash, killing rancher to inherit millions
Pastor Dale Morgan
Pastor accused of staging crash, killing rancher to inherit millions*
* Story Highlights
* Rev. Howard Douglas Porter's trial begins Thursday
* Porter says he tried to brake before his truck plunged into an
irrigation ditch
* Prosecutors contend the crash was part of elaborate plan to kill
passenger
* They describe Porter as a scheming con man who wanted rancher's money
FRESNO, California (AP) -- The Rev. Howard Douglas Porter says he tried
to brake before his truck plunged into an irrigation ditch, and that he
made a desperate effort to save his elderly passenger from drowning in
the mire.
But prosecutors in a murder trial scheduled to begin opening statements
Thursday say the country preacher staged the crash as part of a
far-fetched plot to kill the old rancher and inherit his millions.
Townspeople in Hickman, a rural outpost some 90 miles north of Fresno,
knew 85-year-old Frank Craig as a lifelong bachelor whose dream was to
build a museum to showcase his antique farming equipment.
Defense attorneys say Porter, a minister at the local Christian church
and beloved high school wrestling coach, was a standup man for the job.
But after Craig was crippled and then killed in a pair of auto wrecks
with the minister behind the wheel, authorities became suspicious.
In November 2006, Porter was arrested at the Mexican border.
He's been behind bars without bail since, on charges of murder,
attempted murder, theft or embezzlement from an elder adult by a
caretaker, and elder abuse causing death. If convicted, he could be
sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Prosecutors describe Porter as a scheming con man who seized control of
Craig's dreams and fortune, plotted his death and then had the gall to
give the eulogy at his funeral.
"(He) promised to build Mr. Craig the museum of his dreams," Deputy
District Attorney John R. Mayne wrote in a brief filed with the court.
He "wanted to avoid criminal prosecution for stealing the money, and
killed Craig for it."
Craig had socked thousands of dollars away in a grandfather clock by
1999, when he asked Porter to take charge of his reported $2.5 million
trust to build the Central Valley Museum of Agriculture in Hickman, a
town of about 450.
Since Craig rarely went to church, relatives were surprised when he gave
Porter power of attorney and replaced family members with the church as
heir to his trust.
On March 4, 2002, Porter's truck veered off a road and slammed the
passenger side into an oak tree, leaving Craig with serious injuries,
authorities have said.
That crash crippled Craig but didn't initially raise suspicions. Police
later discovered the passenger side air bag never deployed because
someone had manually shut it off.
Porter told officers he had fallen asleep, and he wasn't ticketed.
In the following years, prosecutors say, Porter would visit Craig in the
hospital and lie to him about his progress on the museum, even as he
funneled money from the rancher's accounts to pay his personal credit
card bills.
Two years later, once Craig could walk again, he agreed to go out for a
spin in Porter's pickup.
On April 22, 2004, Porter's truck veered into an irrigation canal, and
the farmer drowned. Investigators say while the driver's side window was
rolled down, the passenger side window was shut tight.
Craig's relatives and friends suspected foul play, and some rushed to
the scene to tell authorities the crash could not have been accidental.
In an interview, Modesto defense attorney Kirk McAllister depicted
Craig's death as an accident.
"The two of them had a long-standing friendship," McAllister said. "Mr.
Porter has a very good reputation in the community, both in his church
and as a wrestling coach."
McAllister has told the court he plans to call dozens of defense
witnesses who can testify that Porter may be a poor driver, but is a man
of excellent character.
Following Craig's death, Porter resigned from Hickman Community Church
and went to Mexico to set up a ministry. He was arrested while trying to
re-enter the United States.