07-23-2012, 08:28 PM
13abc News
TOLEDO, Ohio -
Testimony is underway in the trials of two men charged in the brutal killings of a young couple in Springfield Township. Authorities found the bodies of Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub in Straub's parents' home in January 2011.
Prosecutors say DNA from a cigarette butt found at the crime scene links Samuel Williams and Cameo Pettaway to the crime.
The state called eleven witnesses Monday, including the parents of Lisa Straub. It was the first time Mary Beth and Jeff Straub have spoken publicly about their daughter's death since the murders inside their home while they were out of town on vacation celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
The cruise ship captain actually alerted them to the horror back home.
The court also heard from several people who knew Lisa and her boyfriend Johnny Clarke. Some friends testified Johnny was a drug dealer. One even said he bragged that his girlfriend's parents' had a lot of money and a safe in the house.
Prosecutor: Did you ever see this guy right here come to your house?
Jeff Straub: No, never.
Prosecutor: For the record, I'm pointing to Samuel Williams.
That was one of the few moments the defendant was mentioned in court. Lisa Straub's dad, mom, and friends and acquaintances testified they did not know Williams.
Lisa's mom, Mary Beth, took the stand first, saying her daughter's behavior changed in the last few months before she was brutally killed.
Mary Beth: She acted like she was high or something.
Prosecutor: Did you ever converse with her in regards to this?
Mary Beth: Yes.
Prosecutor: What did you ask her?
Mary Beth: I asked her if she was doing drugs.
Prosecutor: What was her response?
Mary Beth: No.
Michael Dominguez, a long time friend of Johnny Clarke's, says a few hours before his murder in January of 2011, Johnny was at Dominguez's house watching a football game.
Prosecutor: Did Johnny ever sell any drugs?
Dominguez: Yeah
Prosecutro: What did he sell?
Dominguez: Marijuana.
Around 9pm, Dominguez says Johnny left to pick up Lisa from work where she was a waitress.
Prosecutor: Were you aware whether or not Johnny was using drugs other than weed?
Dominguez: Yes.
Prosecutor: What drug was he using?
Dominguez: Pills.
Several of the couple's friends say Johnny and Lisa were both using Percocet pills.
On the night of the murder, one friend, Tiffany Williams, who also used Percocet and is not related to the defendant, testified that at about 10:45pm she had a short phone call with Johnny.
She heard him yelling to someone else in the home. "Who the f--k are you? What the hell are you doing?" he repeated that several times. Then she says he told her, "I'll call you back, Tiff," and hung up.
Tiffany never heard from him again. Later that night, the Straub family home on Longacre Lane was ransacked. Johnny and Lisa were found dead in the kitchen with their hands duct-taped with black tape behind their backs and plastic bags over their heads.
Lisa's father, Jeff Straub, testified they had white plastic bags inside the home. However, he says there was no black tape in the home, only grey.
Jeff Straub also testified that he never kept large amounts of money or expensive jewelry in the house. He also says there was no safe.
However, he does say he did have 4.6 million Iraqi dinar worth about $4,500 in US dollars. That store of cash was hidden in the closet of an upstairs bedroom, and it was found in tact.
The second suspect in the case, Cameo Pettaway, was also in court as testimony in his trial began.
Sheriff deputies who arrived first on the scene testified to how they handled the scene and what they found.
Emotions were running high in the courthouse, and the judge warned spectators once again that he would ban anyone who caused problems.
Link With Video
http://www.13abc.com/story/19093492/test...der-trials
TOLEDO, Ohio -
Testimony is underway in the trials of two men charged in the brutal killings of a young couple in Springfield Township. Authorities found the bodies of Johnny Clarke and Lisa Straub in Straub's parents' home in January 2011.
Prosecutors say DNA from a cigarette butt found at the crime scene links Samuel Williams and Cameo Pettaway to the crime.
The state called eleven witnesses Monday, including the parents of Lisa Straub. It was the first time Mary Beth and Jeff Straub have spoken publicly about their daughter's death since the murders inside their home while they were out of town on vacation celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary.
The cruise ship captain actually alerted them to the horror back home.
The court also heard from several people who knew Lisa and her boyfriend Johnny Clarke. Some friends testified Johnny was a drug dealer. One even said he bragged that his girlfriend's parents' had a lot of money and a safe in the house.
Prosecutor: Did you ever see this guy right here come to your house?
Jeff Straub: No, never.
Prosecutor: For the record, I'm pointing to Samuel Williams.
That was one of the few moments the defendant was mentioned in court. Lisa Straub's dad, mom, and friends and acquaintances testified they did not know Williams.
Lisa's mom, Mary Beth, took the stand first, saying her daughter's behavior changed in the last few months before she was brutally killed.
Mary Beth: She acted like she was high or something.
Prosecutor: Did you ever converse with her in regards to this?
Mary Beth: Yes.
Prosecutor: What did you ask her?
Mary Beth: I asked her if she was doing drugs.
Prosecutor: What was her response?
Mary Beth: No.
Michael Dominguez, a long time friend of Johnny Clarke's, says a few hours before his murder in January of 2011, Johnny was at Dominguez's house watching a football game.
Prosecutor: Did Johnny ever sell any drugs?
Dominguez: Yeah
Prosecutro: What did he sell?
Dominguez: Marijuana.
Around 9pm, Dominguez says Johnny left to pick up Lisa from work where she was a waitress.
Prosecutor: Were you aware whether or not Johnny was using drugs other than weed?
Dominguez: Yes.
Prosecutor: What drug was he using?
Dominguez: Pills.
Several of the couple's friends say Johnny and Lisa were both using Percocet pills.
On the night of the murder, one friend, Tiffany Williams, who also used Percocet and is not related to the defendant, testified that at about 10:45pm she had a short phone call with Johnny.
She heard him yelling to someone else in the home. "Who the f--k are you? What the hell are you doing?" he repeated that several times. Then she says he told her, "I'll call you back, Tiff," and hung up.
Tiffany never heard from him again. Later that night, the Straub family home on Longacre Lane was ransacked. Johnny and Lisa were found dead in the kitchen with their hands duct-taped with black tape behind their backs and plastic bags over their heads.
Lisa's father, Jeff Straub, testified they had white plastic bags inside the home. However, he says there was no black tape in the home, only grey.
Jeff Straub also testified that he never kept large amounts of money or expensive jewelry in the house. He also says there was no safe.
However, he does say he did have 4.6 million Iraqi dinar worth about $4,500 in US dollars. That store of cash was hidden in the closet of an upstairs bedroom, and it was found in tact.
The second suspect in the case, Cameo Pettaway, was also in court as testimony in his trial began.
Sheriff deputies who arrived first on the scene testified to how they handled the scene and what they found.
Emotions were running high in the courthouse, and the judge warned spectators once again that he would ban anyone who caused problems.
Link With Video
http://www.13abc.com/story/19093492/test...der-trials
"It is a capital mistake to theorize before you have all the evidence. It biases the judgment."