Jury Deliberations Begin in Alleged Murder Over Parking Spat

Oakland, CA— Jury deliberations began Friday in the trial of two reputed gang members who are charged with murder for the fatal shooting of a man who had inadvertently bumped their car while he was parallel parking outside a North Oakland store in 2011.

Prosecutor Butch Ford is asking jurors to convict Cartier Hunter, 27, of Oakland, the alleged shooter, and Giovante Douglas, 24, of Richmond, the alleged driver and accomplice, of first-degree murder for the shooting death of 23-year-old of Charles Butler Jr. at 46th and West streets in Oakland at about 10:25 a.m. on Dec. 22, 2011.

But defense attorneys are asking jurors to find Hunter and Douglas not guilty, alleging that there are problems with the way the Oakland Police Department investigated the case and that the prosecution witnesses who identified Hunter and Douglas as the suspects aren't credible or accurate.

A surveillance video played during the trial showed Butler pulling up quickly to a market near 45th and Market streets in his car just as Douglas left the store.

Butler put his car in reverse and maneuvered in between two parked cars but as he moved it forward it lightly struck the car parked in front of it, a dark four-door Lexus LS 400 that belonged to Douglas.

The video shows Butler interacting with Douglas and Hunter at the store and Ford said witnesses told police that Hunter followed Butler on foot, was picked up by Douglas and shot Butler in his car a few blocks away
near 46th and West streets.

The fatal shooting was unsolved until a woman who witnessed the shooting, Aisha Weber, felt compelled to contact police in the fall of 2013 after watching a television news story about Butler's distraught father wanting to solve the case before he died.

Weber testified last week that before she saw the news story the shooting "was just an incident" to her but, "I saw something on the news that touched my heart."

She said, "It made me sad. A father was ill and couldn't help solve his son's murder."

Weber said she didn't come forward immediately after the shooting "because of my safety and the safety of my kids."

Douglas was arrested in October 2013 and Hunter was arrested in April 2014.

Weber testified that Hunter jumped out of the car that Douglas was driving, ran up to Butler's car and fired numerous shots. Weber said she also knew both defendants from the neighborhood.

Hunter's attorney, William Welch, said, "The entirety of the prosecution's case rests on Miss Weber" and he said he believes her testimony was unreliable because she was so preoccupied with ducking and getting to
safety after shots rang out that she didn't get a good enough look to identify Hunter and Douglas.

Welch said, "The case against him (Hunter) does not add up."

He added, "The only thing more tragic than the untimely death of Mr. Butler would be a conviction predicated on Miss Weber's testimony."

Douglas' attorney, Paul Feuerwerker, asked jurors to find his client not guilty, saying, "The prosecution didn't prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt."

He said, "There are problems with every significant (prosecution) witness."

But Ford said Weber's testimony is corroborated by the other evidence in the case and "every step of the way she's been consistent about what she said."

Hunter, who has a prior burglary conviction, is also charged with being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm.

Jurors will only deliberate until noon today and then will return on Monday for more deliberations.

By Bay City News

Photo via Shutterstock