Witness: Suspect Shot CA Cop in Panic
Ken [NY
San Jose, CA - 2/6/2002
San Jose Mercury-News
BY RODNEY FOO
As DeShawn Campbell hid from the law and sought help while on the run,
he acknowledged fatally shooting San Jose police officer Jeffrey
Fontana, prosecution witnesses testified Monday during a hearing to
determine whether he will be tried for murder.
The accounts from siblings Louella and Gerald Kissoon -- who confirmed
on the stand that they helped Campbell during his flight -- came on
the opening day of a preliminary hearing before Santa Clara County
Superior Court Judge Robert Ambrose.
The hearing, expected to end later this week, will determine if
Campbell, 22, should go on trial in the Oct. 28 killing of Fontana, a
24-year-old rookie cop. The hearing also will decide if co-defendant
Tyree Washington, 23, should be tried as an accessory.
Deputy Public Defender Charlie Gillan, in a brief interview outside
court, belittled the testimony as an effort by witnesses, who broke
the law themselves, to avoid prosecution.
``It seems to be the prosecution's best witnesses are ones that could
be charged with felonies or incarcerated,'' he said.
Gillan, who maintained that his client is not guilty, said another car
found abandoned near the shooting scene could indicate someone else
was was responsible for the officer's death.
Fontana's body was discovered in the pre-dawn hours in an Almaden
Valley cul-de-sac. He had been shot in the head. At the scene, police
found Fontana's patrol car, blocking a car that belonged to Campbell's
family and was driven by DeShawn Campbell.
After interviewing those who had seen Campbell hours before and after
the killing, police began searching for him. Eleven days after
Fontana's death, police captured the suspect in the back yard of a
friend's home on Stevens Lane in San Jose.
About three days before his capture, Louella Kissoon had met Campbell
at a different home. Kissoon and her brother had been called by a
friend, Priscilla Smith, who prosecutors said knew Campbell through
his brother.
Smith had called Louella Kissoon for help. Campbell had been hiding at
her house for about a week, said prosecutor Lane Liroff. Under
questioning by Liroff, Kissoon said she had a 90-second conversation
with Campbell about the shooting.
``I told him, basically, `You killed an officer and they'll do
anything to catch you,' '' said Kissoon, who also pointed out that
Campbell had ruined his own life.
Campbell replied, ``I know, I know, '' then used a vulgarity to
acknowledge he'd made a huge mistake, Kissoon said.
Before an afternoon break, Kissoon testified that Campbell did not say
why he allegedly shot Fontana. ``He didn't tell in-depth what his
motive was,'' she said. But when court resumed, Kissoon recalled
Campbell saying ``he panicked because he had a lot of warrants.''
Kissoon testified she hid Campbell in the trunk of her car, driving
him to another house. She said she did it because she was under
pressure from her friend and her brother.
She denied having cut a deal with the prosecution in return for her
testimony.
Gerald Kissoon said he asked Campbell if Campbell had shot Fontana.
Campbell nodded his head, Kissoon said. Fearing there might be further
bloodshed, Gerald Kissoon said he asked Campbell for the weapon
allegedly used to kill the officer, a Colt .45-caliber semiautomatic
handgun, and Campbell handed it over.
Kissoon said he took apart the gun at his home's garage, destroying
parts of it with a blowtorch. Kissoon said he tossed the remaining
parts out of a car as he traveled to Monterey County.
Investigators have recovered what they believe to be the spring from
an ammunition clip.
At one point, Ambrose stopped Kissoon's testimony and asked him if he
should have an attorney. But, Kissoon said authorities had said they
would not prosecute him as long as he ``spoke the truth'' on the
witness stand.
Ken (NY)
--
Chairperson,
Department of Redundancy Department
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